Strings Unraveled
by Deiru Tamashi
Summary: Sequel to "Threads Connected". Five hundred years have passed since the Chaos flooded the world, and Deiru and Etro became one. Now at the end of time, he and Lightning must work to bring salvation to the remnants of humanity. Can they save humanity in the last thirteen days? Can humanity even be saved? Rated T just in case. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1: A Changed World

Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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**Notice: **I thank all of you who voted in helping my title for this story. So here, it is, the sequel to Threads Connected! (The story will mainly be told through the POV of my OC, Deiru. If it ever changes though, there will be an indicator.)

The story so far:

Deiru Tamashi, an average human sixteen year-old, arrives home one day and starts a new game on his copy of Final Fantasy XIII. But as soon as he does however, a meteor shower fall down around his home, and Deiru is hit by one. When he awakened he has no injuries, save for a silver crescent-shaped burn mark on the bottom of his right forearm. Later, after making sure he's fine he starts to play the game when he is pulled into the Hanging Edge, now in the world of Final Fantasy. Using powers he gained upon arriving Deiru meets the cast and is made a l'Cie, also learning that the goddess Etro brought him there. The makers of FFXIII had captured the timeline of a real world and built it into a game, so anything that _any_ player of _any_ game did would be reflect in the real Final Fantasy world.

The timeline was in danger of being destroyed, and so Deiru was tasked with changing events to prevent that. Along the journey Deiru and Lightning feel in love with each other, the key point being after Deiru saved her life in Palumpolum. The l'Cie traveled from Cocoon to Pulse and back, finally saving Cocoon and Deiru choosing to stay in the world of Cocoon, leaving his old life behind. However, it was not to be. Deiru was pulled into Valhalla along with Lightning, serving the same purpose as Etro's champion. Later Lightning sent him along with Noel to find Serah. As their journey grew to a close Deiru resolved to stop Caius Ballad from killing himself and ending the world. His efforts were in vain though, and Serah died while the Chaos flooded forth.

Afterwards, in Valhalla Deiru learned that when Etro had brought him to that world she accidentally imparted a fragment of her soul, which becomes the last living part of her. Deiru accepts to become her vessel and absorbs Etro's spirit into her own, causing him to gain her powers. With them Deiru resolves to fulfill is final promise to protect Lightning, and kneels before her crystal statue in the Throne of the Goddess.

Since then, five hundred years have gone by…

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**Strings Unraveled**

Ch.1 A Changed World

_For half of a millennia the darkness flooded reality, infecting every aspect of existence. _

In an unknown land there existed a massive city, one that merged together the aspects of medieval and modern. The streets were alive with festivities, and near the end of the town existed a massive palace, with an equally large clocktower in front of it. Atop the clocktower stood two figures, both of which looked down at the citizens below. Inside the palace they could hear the sounds of even greater festivities, and in their communicator's a voice said "It's starting. The banquet at the end of time. The people know it's almost over." "Yeah," the woman beside me said. She stood and took of her shades, gazing out at the broken world.

_Because of my failure, this world is doomed to die. And it won't be in centuries- the world had less than a couple of weeks._

"Only thirteen days to go," Lightning said, and I nodded beside her. Lightning's hair was long and fell over one shoulder, and without her sunglasses her eyes were revealed to be a pale aqua-blue. Her armor was composed of a chest plate held by straps, armor covering her shoulder and arms, knee-high boots of black metal and red leather, and a collared cape that was white on the outside and red on the inside, which was the same case with the two legs of cloth covering her legs. Attached to her left arm was a red shield and in her right hand she held a long metal sword with almost no hand guard, and a blade that could cut through the strongest steel. In the center of her chest was her emblem of the Savior.

I stood next to Lightning, my gaze solemn. With the two of us standing together I was taller my only an inch. My hair was a disheveled mess of chaotic black spikes and my skin was both tanned and muscled, although not a lot of either. My left eye was sapphire blue, while my right was a golden-yellow. I wore a suit of armor composed of black metal chest armor with my own symbol in the center: a silver crescent moon over the Eye of Etro. On my arms were black metal and silver leather gauntlets and leather gloves with metallic rectangles sewn onto the back, and on my legs were armor that protected them and a pair of metal boots with pointed tips. On my back was a massive sword that was five feet long and a foot across, with silver and gold cloth wrapped around the handle and the same symbol that was on my chest was on the hilt.

On the blade were lines written in Etro Script, reading "_The blade of all, made by the union between mortal and divine. To decide that destiny of eternity, the sword Omnes destroys all in its path_." I stood next to my beloved and we both sprang forward, landing the ground and running for the palace. Inside the ballroom of the castle countless people were partying, enjoying the fun. Waitresses dressed in cat-girl outfits moved through the crowd and handed out drinks, and on several stages dancers did as their names implied, much to the watchers' delight. The whole scene was bright with colors, festive and overall full of happiness. But far above was one person who wasn't sharing the festive mood. That person was the Patron of Yusnaan, the city they were in: Snow Villiers.

The once bright man now wore an all-black formal suit, with boots, gloves and his engagement pendant of Cocoon. His blonde hair had lengthened until it was straight and layered, reaching his shoulders. He also had a short beard, and his blue eyes were filled with a mire of sadness, anger and regret. Hidden underneath his left sleeve was the brand of a l'Cie, the last one left in existence, and it had reached its thirteenth stage. Snow sat forward on his throne and watched the events down below, while one either side of him stood a guard. He was waiting for something to go wrong, as it usually would. What did didn't see was Lightning and I moving through the ground, remaining in stealth unless something happened.

Something did happen. The music dimmed and the room grew dark, and we all looked up as a dark shadowy mist appeared from nowhere and spread across the ceiling. In our ears Hope's voice sounded over the communicator, saying "It's the Chaos. Do you want to go back?" "Too late now," Lightning replied. I smiled, and without thinking both my voice and that of a woman said "We can take it." I blinked, and waved my hand in apology when Lightning looked back. Sometimes Etro and I happened to be thinking the same thing at the same time, and both of our voices came through. It didn't happen often, but was rather embarrassing when a stranger heard two voices coming out of your mouth at once.

The crowd stopped when the Chaos appeared, instantly going from cheerful to apprehensive and full of fear. One of the walls split apart and began to shimmer, the Chaos having ripped open a hole in reality. When nothing came through one of the waitresses slowly took a step forward. That step would be her last, because just then an arm shot forward from the void and grabbed her, pulling her in. Her screams was cut sort, but the other's began when more monsters burst through, charging. There were several Anubys as well as a couple of Niblet. The crowd scattered began running for exits, while one of the guards said "Sire!" "Got it!" Snow said, standing. Rather than join the running crowd Lightning and I pushed through them, trying to reach the monsters and kill them.

A Niblet came close to Lightning and tried to bite her, but she swung her sword and cut it across the face. The monster fell back and I flicked my hand, casting Thunder and blasting it to a crisp. An Anubys swung at one of the people and creating a gaping hole in that person's stomach, falling back. I pulled of Omnes and leaped, rising above the crowd and calling "Hey!" It looked up and I cast Aeroga, creating a massive gale of wind that hit the beast hard enough that it took a step back. Lightning knelt before the dying person and she placed a hand on their chest. "Rest in peace," she said, and their chest glowed. A sphere of light that was their soul rose out of their chest and entered the symbol in the middle of Lightning's armor, causing it to shine as another soul was given salvation.

The other monsters mace various sound of battle and charged at us, and the Chaos surged forward. That was when Snow leaped from the level above and yelled, landing on the ground and slamming his fist against it. The Chaos swirled around him before vanishing, Snow having drawn it into his own body. I was shocked that he had done hat and froze, but then in my head I heard Etro called "_Look out!_" Out of the corner of my eye I saw an Anubys swing at me, and I blocked. While I kept the monster from attacking Lightning came from behind, jumping and stabbing her sword, Crimson Blitz, through the back of its neck. The beast tried to roar, but all that came out was a gargle. It fell to the ground when Lightning pulled her sword out, and Snow picked up its ax.

With a grunt he flash froze the item into a double-ended weapon of ice, which he swung at and hit a Niblet so hard it flew until it hit the wall, the impact cracking its skull like an egg. Lightning leaped off of a pillar and zipped through the air, moving with such sped that she was faster than her namesake. One of the Anubys tried to hit me with an overhead blow and I blocked, pushing back and causing the monster to teeter on one foot. I stabbed Omnes into its free foot and the Anubys fell back, where I cast Blizzara and dropped a chunk of ice the size of a table on its head. Snow knocked the axe of the last one's hand, and looked around. There were more appearing, but they stuck around the edge. Now that we had time to breathe, Lightning said "Snow, it's been a long time. You know what I am, and you know what I want."

Snow scoffed, smiling without humor. "You're a regular angel of death, Light. So now what? Is that the bit where you 'save my soul'?" he asked. "I can help. If that's what you want," she answered. Snow was silent for a moment, before grabbing her by the arm and pulling her loser. Instantly I was there, the point of Omnes resting against the tip of his spine. "One wrong move…" I warned. I may have considered Snow an ally in the past, but now I wasn't sure what he was. And if he was an enemy, I wouldn't hesitate to strike him in order to fulfill my duty: protecting Lightning. Just then everything went still, even Snow, and a small girl appeared between him and Lightning. We both gasped, and she giggled, waving her finger. She taped against Lightning's blade and a cracked appeared in hit, before the blade burst apart and half of it flew off into the distance.

Everything began moving again, and the girl had moved from being between Lightning and Snow to sitting on the chandelier, swinging her legs. Her eyes were blue gray and she looked like a younger version of Lightning, or perhaps Serah. She was wearing a gothic Lolita dress with stockings, a long sweeper with a pink interior, a sleeveless halter top with a black collar, a lacy skirt, and a long glove over her left arm and pump shoes. Snow glared at the girl, calling "Lumina!" Lumina shook her finger from side to side. "Now, now, it you can't just throw your life away!" she said, before pointing at the ceiling. A bolt of red lightning burst outwards and spread hitting every joint holding up the chandelier. She jumped of and vanished with bright flash.

The chandelier fell down and Snow shoved Lightning and I away. Beneath his sleeve his brand glowed before he threw a sphere of energy. The chandelier froze in mid-air and stopped, turning into a shape supported by a pillar similar to a miniature Cocoon. Snow huffed a breath. "I swear, that kid is a demon," he stated. I decided not to comment on that, and instead stepped closer. "You know what our purpose for being here is. Getting in our way will change nothing," I said. Snow looked at his fist, clenching it tighter. "Nothing's going to stop me, you hear? Not the two of you, and definitely not her. If you have to fight the Savior and her Protector, then I will," he said. I raised an eyebrow. "Against just Lightning or me, you might stand a chance. But do you really think you can defeat both of us?" I asked, my golden eye gleaming.

Snow looked at me dead in the eye. "Like I said- nothing's going to stop me," he said. But then he turned and dashed for a set of door, crashing them and running. I blinked, but then ran after him when Lightning did the same. As we did I switched my communicator back on. "Hope, maybe you can fill in here. What the hell is going on?" I asked. "If you're talking about Snow, he's become the patron of Yusnaan, and has been for a long time," Hope replied. "The Patron? I know he liked to help people, but lording over an entire city?" Lightning asked. "That was the idea, but now all he shows up for is for the nighttime activates, earning him the title 'Lord of the feast-hall'," Hope explained. I sighed, and within my head I could feel Etro's despair as well.

"_And that young man used to have such a positive outlook on life, did he not?_" she asked me. I knew that since we shared heads she could have just looked in my memories to find out, but she respected me enough to not. I nodded. "He was. But five hundred years can change a person, particularly with the world in this state," I said. Etro didn't say anything, but I knew what she was thinking. If she had been able to hold back the Chaos instead of dying, none of this would have happened. I felt the same guilt over having been unable to prevent her death, but none of that mattered now. All that was left was pick up the pieces of this shattered world and try to save it. Which, at the moment, involved chasing after Snow. We made it to the second level and saw him a good distance head of us, punching an Anubys in the face so hard it fell over a ledge into the ballroom.

He didn't even look to see it fall and kept going, barreling past two Niblet. They began to chase him, but once they saw us switched targets, hissing. Lightning cast Ruin and hit one while I swung down with Omnes, burying it halfway through the second one's head. I ripped the blade back out and cast Water to get rid of the blood, while Lighting slashed with the remains of her Crimson Blitz. Now that it was broken the sword's power wasn't what it was, and the cut was only half as deep as it could have been. The Niblet tried to bite her and she frowned, stabbing her sword in its eye. Now that both of the fiends were gone Lightning held up one finger, signaling for me to wait. I did, and her body was surrounded by light as she charged from her Equilibrium outfit to Dark Muse. Her sword and shield were replaced with the blade Scramasax and the Double Cross, and once that was done she said "Let's go."

I nodded and we both continued rushing forward, tailing after Snow. We managed to make it to a larger room made of stone when we stopped- Lumina was standing in the way. She wasn't paying attention to us, instead she was laughing as she wandered around in the middle of the chaos. My eyes narrowed and I looked at her. Just what was this girl? "If you're playing around in the middle of this Chaos, I'm guessing you're not human," Lightning said, stepping forward. Lumina stopped and looked at us, her eyes wide and innocent. "Oh, so you can see inside this stuff? Then you must not be one of God's regular lackey, huh?" she said, before looking at me. "And you, you're not even tied to God at all. You have his daughter's soul inside you," she said.

I froze, both Etro and I radiating shock from the same body. How did she know? Lumina laughed, saying "Etro was the goddess that controlled the Chaos and held it back in Valhalla all those eons. And since I'm using the Chaos, I can see her inside of you." Slowly my shock faded to anger, and I held up Omnes. "Hmph. Since you're so smart, are you going to keep standing in our way?" I demanded. Lightning held up her own blade, and Lumina chuckled. "No, but I will leave you a little parting gift," she said. Then she spread her arms and the Chaos pulsed, creating a burst of darkness behind her that resolved into a Zaltys. Lumina vanished while the beast roared, and Lightning I both prepared to fight.

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Well, there's the first chapter of Strings Unraveled. Hope you all enjoyed it, and if anything confused you, know that next chapter there will be a lot of explanations at to what I have going on. So stayed tuned!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	2. Chapter 2: The Savior

Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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**Notice:** Just the beginning and I've already gotten nine reviews?! Incredible! I thank you all for leave such reviews, and so before the chapter begins I shall reply! (Note: After the fight a good portion of the chapter will be explanations for those who haven't played the game and explanations of how Deiru is involved.)

Gry17: Well, you've kept me waiting this long. What idea have you got in that head of yours?

StorSpeaker: Indeed it is. If you haven't played the game yourself I would recommend it- it's that good.

Guest: That will be revealed after this chapter, when their quest formally begins.

X-Ranger1: Yes, Etro was Bhunivelze's daughter. If you want to know the whole FFXIII mythology, its on Final Fantasy Wikia.

CrescentMoon01: I'm glad you think so.

Devil-l'Cie: You don't say. Well, just tell me the title and I'll read your fic- you have now piqued my interest.

BlazingEdge: He knows bits and pieces, but not the whole plot.

Rsdk525: Thank you for the kid words, and ask and ye shall receive.

And now, here we go with Chapter Two of Strings Unraveled!

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Ch.2 The Savior

After Lumina vanished the Zaltys she left behind roared, and Lightning and each held up our blades. "Let's go," she said, and I nodded. We both charged, moving to the sides so the beast couldn't attack both us. That was the plane, but then it snapped its fangs at me while also using Tail Hammer on Light, causing her to block with her Double Cross. I jumped away and cast Libra, learning that the beat was immune to Fire but weak to blizzard. "Hit it with ice!" I called to Lightning. She nodded, switching back to Equilibrium and casting Blizzard. The Zaltys roared and spun around, moving with surprisingly speed for such its size. It raised a clawed and and slammed it back down on the ground, just barely missing Light. She frowned and cast Blizzard again, firing the chunk of ice straight at its head.

It shattered on impact and the beast snarled, biting at her and swinging. She was able to block the bite but not the swing, and shouted as one talon cut her on her upper arm. "Light!" I called, before glaring at the Zaltys. I ran back next to her and she pulled out a Potion. "Give me some cover while I drink this," she said. I nodded; that was my plan. I ran and the Zaltys used Tail Hammer again, but I blocked. "Take this, you scaled piece of crap!" I yelled, swinging with Froststrike. Seeing that Omnes was covered in ice the beast took a step back, leaning out of the way. But I pursued the beast, and gave it a cut on its own arm. It growled and swung at me with its other hand, but I blocked. Sparks struck from the impact and pushed, sending the beast off-balance.

Lightning finished drinking the Potion and tossed it aside, the cut on her arms healing. She ran back in and cast Blizzard, hitting it on its left side with to chunks of ice. The Zaltys roared and backed away from both of us, before stampeding forward. I rolled out of the way and Lightning did the same, but then while it still had its back to us the beast swept its tail across the ground, knocking us both off our feet. I hit my head against the stone floor when that happened, and groaned. Lightning sprang back to her feet though, slashing at the Zaltys before it could bite her. I stood back up as well, and changed to my own Dark Muse outfit. I wore a black leather jacket with short sleeves and a red T-shirt beneath, along with black shorts and two straps that connected them to daggers I had wrapped around my calves.

I drew the daggers, each of which were about the size of combat knives, and ran up to the Zaltys. It saw me coming and swung, but I leaped over the hand and threw one of the daggers. It flew end over end until it struck the point between the monster's arm and neck, burying the blade half-way in. The Zaltys roared in pain and I landed on the ground, ducking a strike from its tail. Lightning also changed to Dark Muse, and struck with her Scramasax, creating a cut on its arm just below the first one. The beast grunted looked down at her, biting once more. I stopped it by ripping my dagger out of its flesh before stabbing it again, this time in the hand. It switched its gaze to me and snapped its fang, trying to bite me in half. It got lucky this time though, and although it didn't puncture the tip of one fang scraped a path across my chest.

I hissed in pain; the wound wasn't deep but stung like hell. I pulled out a Potion and downed it as fast as I could, and the stinging faded. Lightning distracted the beast with a volley of blizzard spells, and I changed back to my Equilibrium garb. "Let's see you try this!" I said, and I cast Destrudo. Five orbs of energy flew forward and blasted against the Zaltys, dealing a definite amount of damage. It howled and looked at me, turning and raised its head towards the ceiling. I could see the inside of its mouth begin to glow orange, before it looked down and fired Blaze Burst. A ball of fire the size of a table flew at me, and I held up Omnes. It collided with the force of a bison and a slid back across the ground a foot, before holding. I looked up and saw that while the Zaltys glared at me, hoping I would falter, Lightning was running up from behind.

"Here!" she yelled, and she swung down at its tail with her sword held in both hand, severing the end of it. The Zaltys roared and looked back at her, and I took that moment to pour all of into pushing forward, until I was able to send the Blaze Burst back at the monster. Although the flames dealt no damage the force of the hit caused it to stagger, and that was when Lightning jumped onto its back and ran up. "Game over!" she called, and stabbed Scramasax into the back of its head. The Zaltys froze and its eyes widened, panic showing briefly before it faded along with all other life. The beast moaned and fell forward, slumping against the ground. Now that it was dead its back to dissipate into black smoke, not even the blood and Lightning's blood remaining.

I wanted to smile and congratulate Lightning on that move, perhaps even get one of those treasured miles out of her. But for now we had something more important to do: we needed to catch up with Snow. The two of us ran down the door that the Zaltys had been in the way of, and through it we came a locked door, and around it we could see threads of Chaos. "Hope, we've gotten to locked door. Can we force it?" Lightning asked into her com link. After a few seconds he answered "_That may even be beyond your power. Feel the amount of Chaos building up behind it_." I frowned and reached out, and when I placed my hand against the door a large electric shock zapped through me, and I gasped. "He's right. With this much Chaos here we won't be able to just barrel through," I said.

With my head I could Etro say "_I could try to lessen the intensity of the Chaos enough that we can pass_." I smiled and said "Worth a shot." I placed both of my hands just over the door and closed my eyes, letting the goddess take over. I could feel her energy flow from my heart and down my arms, exiting my palms in the form of golden tendrils of mist, while when I opened my eyes they were both gold. It mixed with the dark mist that was the Chaos, and I could feel the energy of it begin to recede. I smiled, once again thankful for the decision to become the goddess's vessel. It meant that I would have to share heads, something I even now was unused to, but at the very least it gave the strength I needed to be the Savior's Protector.

Just as I began to think we could get through I heard shouts behind us, and Lightning turned. "Hope, what is that?" she asked. "_It's the palace guards. Light, you and Deiru need to get out of there_," he answered. "Just a moment. I've almost gotten it," I said in the both Etro and my voices, the two of us focusing harder. The shouts were getting louder, now accompanied by the sounds of thumping metal boots. "Deiru, we have to leave. We can come back and try again later," Lightning urged me. I frowned, and sighed. "Fine," I said, and I felt Etro begin to recede. The blue returned to my left eye and I stood. "Okay, let's go," I said in just my voice. "_Got it. Hold on while I transport you to the ark_," Hope said. Both Lightning and I were surrounded by light before we vanished, the guards rounding the corner to see nothing but empty air.

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Lightning and I flew through non-existent space, similar to when I fell through the Historia Crux, only white and without the any gears. As we did I looked over at Lightning. I didn't want to say it, but I felt I had to. "Snow really has changed," I said. Lightning nodded. "From the looks of it, he's torturing himself over Serah, and not being able to save the world from the Chaos," she said. I looked away. Snow had no reason to blame himself. If anything, I was responsible for putting the world in the state it was in. The guilt should have fallen on my shoulders alone. "We will save him though, right?" I asked. Lightning nodded. "It goes without saying, she said."

After a while everything turned white once more, and we ended up back in the ark. The area was composed of a circular platform that hovered in the air with rails around the edge. The floor was composed of solid white marbles and underneath panes of glass were running water. The area was bare save for a single bookshelf and a giant computer, which possessed several large monitors and a large analog clock at the top. Past the edge of the platform several souls hovering in the air, all which had been given salvation by Lightning. The top of the ark was open to clouds that possessed a faded gold color. Several hundred meters from the edge was a gargantuan tree with no branches and a single large flower at the top, hovering in the air.

Sitting in front of it in a white floating chair and typing on a keyboard was Hope himself. He stopped when he saw that we had arrived, and stood. "Welcome back," he said, and we nodded. When the world had been consumed by Chaos he had possessed the body of an adult, but now he appeared just as he had all the centuries ago when the three of us were l'Cie. The only difference was that his scarf was black and gray, and his eyes still held the maturity he had when the world fell. We walked up to him while he sat back down, and we looked at the monitors. "So, explain this to me like I'm stupid. What's everything that's happened so far?" I asked. "Alright," Hope said.

"As you've figured out, five hundred years have passed since the Chaos escaped from Valhalla, and merged it with Gran Pulse. The two lands have become one, known as Nova Chrysalia. Only four major areas of land still existed, the rest of it having been swallowed by Chaos. In addition, all of time has come to a stop, and even the natural order of life has been warped. People are unable to age and die naturally, only by other means. And while we can still die, new life is no longer able to be conceived. So, the world population has been slowly dwindling over the years. People have begun to lose hope, and with the end of the world approaching they need someone who will be able to guide them to the next world when the apocalypse ends."

"Which is where I come in," Lightning said. Hope nodded. "Exactly. But that's not all that happens. On the final day Bhunivelze, the supreme god of light, will awaken. His power will be able to make the souls saved will be reborn in the new world," he said. I looked at him. "I'll ask the obvious question. If this God so strong, why can't he just get rid of the Chaos in this world?" I asked. "Because after all of this time, the Chaos has infused with every aspect of reality. Not even God has the power to save this world, and he isn't going to try. Instead, when this world dies all the Chaos in existence will die with it, and this world will be replaced by one free of it. But what's the point of having world where there's no one in it?" Hope explained. "So, he's picked me to be the one who breaks humanity free from their shackles of despair, and that way they can be reborn?" Lightning asked.

"Right. You've become Bhunivelze's chosen Savior, the one who'll guide humanity to the new world. Don't you see? You could save hundreds of lives, even thousands. And in return, God is willing to bring back the person you cared for the most," he said. My eyes widened. "You mean... Bhunivelze will be able... to bring back Serah?" I asked. "Yes," Hope replied. Lightning was silent for a long while. "So, that's how it. I scratch God's back, and he gives me back my sister," she said. "That's the idea. I know it must make you mad but-" Hope began. "No, it's okay," Lightning said. We both looked at her, and she held a hand against her chest. "Using my dead sister as a bargaining chip... Something like that should infuriate me to no end, but for some reason I don't feel angry," she said.

I nodded. "Maybe when Bhunivelze made you the Savior, the process purged you of your emotions," I suggested. The same thing had happened to me when Etro and I became one, just on a lesser scale. "Could be. Maybe having emotions gets in the way of what God wants us to do," Lightning replied. "It's possible. And maybe restoring me to childhood was part of his plan too. When I check the records, it says that the man called Hope Estheim disappeared 169 years ago. When I awoke, I was in here. I guess your task is to be the Savior, and my task is to help you in your efforts. But when can't pretend to know everything God is thinking," he said. I nodded. Even occupying the same head, there was the simple that that Etro and I were two entirely different beings. What either of us was thinking was sometimes a mystery to the other.

"And where exactly do I fit in all of this, what with my being Etro's vessel and all?" I asked. Hope sighed. "While God is less than happy that the daughter of his that kept the Chaos contained in the Unseen Realm failed to do so, he's is willing to look past that. He knows that you desire more than anything to fight alongside Lightning, and so you've been made the Savor's 'Protector' as it were," he said. Within me I could feel a flash of resentment from Etro; she and her father had never been on good terms. But I let her be mad, while I said "Okay, so now I just have one more question." I looked over at the tree floating in distance, and said "What's with the giant tree?" "That is Yggdrasil, the tree of life. It's energy forced is tied to that of the planet. Even as we speak the Chaos continues to try and encroach on the rest of the world, and even though the world is supposed to have thirteen days left the Chaos may end it early. That's where the Yggdrasil come in."

"Each time you save a soul you obtain an energy known as Eradia. If you offer this energy to the tree it will delay Armageddon for up to the full 13 days, and if you do that then God will see that you have done a good enough job, and bring back Serah," Hope explained. I nodded and rubbed my head. This was a lot to take in, but at least I wasn't confused anymore. "So, everything's been explained. What do we do now?" Lightning asked. "Well, there are five major locations I want you two to investigate. The Chaos is strongest in these areas, and so you'll have the best chance of saving souls there," Hope said, typing into his keyboard. A map of Nova Chrysalia appeared on the main monitor, and five dots appeared.

"As you guessed, one of those areas is Snow's palace in the city of Yusnaan. Another is the religious capital of the world, Luxerion. I've picked up two Chaos disturbances in the area of the Wildlands, and one more in the scorching sands of the Dead Dunes," he said. "Got it. So, just which one are we going to first?" Lightning asked. "First you'll be going to Luxerion. Leave whenever you like," he answered. We nodded, and after we spent a while of working on our weapons and spells we stepped onto the teleporter and warped to Luxerion.

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Back in Yusnaan the guards have returned to their usual positions after we had gone, and Lumina paced around spot where we vanished. "Can you believe this? She actually thinks she'll be able to save Snow's soul? That's completely ridiculous," she said, her expression irritated. "And that Deiru! Wanting to do everything he can to help her, make sure she doesn't get hurt. So simple-minded!" she added. Then she looked over in the corner, and said "What do you think?" In the corner of the hallway the Chaos condescended into a dark mass, one that resolved itself into a person. "I think that they both need to fail in their little quest. And I've got just the perfect idea how," the figure said.

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Well, that's a wrap on that chapter, and coming next one will be Luxerion! What will happen there? Who is that figure Lumina spoke too? What does that person have planned?

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am ?)


	3. Chapter 3: Luxerion

Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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**Notice:** Yet another TEN reviews for a single chapter?! I'm beginning to wonder if my stories are as suck-ish as I tell myself. But then again all of you, my wonderful readers, seem to like it, so I'll keep writing! And once I've replied to the reviews, we'll get on with the story!

BlazingEdge: I plan do a mixture of both the regular and plus ones. Just wait and see.

Gry17: Wow. That is a massive idea, and I can see why you held it back. While I'm not sure I will use all of it in its entirety, I can most certainly integrate parts of your idea in mine. (And obviously give you credit where it is due.) And yes, we will be hearing some of Lightning's POV.

StorSpeaker: I didn't know that was when your birthday was. Tell me the date so I can wish you a happy birthday on that day!

Rsdk525: You're not wrong, and the beginning of this chapter will just you just how much.

Zackattack999: Yes, I did find that very ironic.

AbsoluteZer0Nova: You are right, the shadowy figure is Uried.

Devil-l'Cie: Thank you for the kind words, and what his role will be revealed in due time.

Guest: I hadn't that about that, but it can be made so.

And ForAllThatIsGoodInThisWorld: I'm glad to hear that my story makes you feel that way. And you're right, it was Uried.

And now that that's done, onto the Chapter Three!

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Ch.3 Luxerion

When Hope transported us to Luxerion we flew through the same pathway as we did before, but halfway through it I gasped as my sight was suddenly shrouded in darkness, and I could feel myself being pulled to somewhere else entirely. When I opened my eyes I saw that I was standing a circular floating platform while everything else was darkness, and in front of me stood a copy of Etro's crystal throne. "_Deiru_," I heard a voice say, and with a flash of light Etro herself appeared on the throne. The goddess looked the same as she had when she was flesh: the appearance of a young woman with the same silver armor Lightning wore in Valhalla minus the golden bird on her chest. Her skin was milky white and almost glowing, her ears and nose were pointed and her long silver hair flowed down to the small of her back. Her eyes were a golden-yellow, accompanied by cherry red lips and perfect teeth.

I instantly dropped to one knee. "Your Grace," I said, hanging my head. Etro chuckled, and then suddenly leaped from down from the throne to stand before me. "There's no need to act as though I am the superior one, Deiru. We occupy the same body, and are therefore of the same status. You can stand if you desire," she told me. I nodded and did just that, looking around. "So, where is this?" "We are inside your mind. I felt the same thing happening to Lightning, and thus pulled you in to your mind to ensure you were not harmed. And putting that aside, we needed to talk," Etro said, her voice becoming serious at the end. I nodded again, suddenly feeling cautious. This couldn't be good. "What is it?" I asked. "I wanted to simply give you one piece of advice: Be wary of Bhunivelze," the goddess said.

I frowned, saying "What do you mean?" "My father may be the supreme god of existence, but that does not make him perfect. He is cunning, cruel and has spent eons plotting even as he slept in crystal. Above all else he is a perfectionist, and hates all things dark, including death itself. Do you remember the story of how I became the goddess of death?" Etro asked. I shook my head, and she said "Bhunivelze originally created Pulse, Lindzei and I all at the same time. However, he unknowingly created in the image of Mwynn, the original goddess. Because of that he gave me no powers out of fear. I shall tell you this Deiru- there is nothing more miserable than a god with no powers. Above all of existence, outliving everything that can ever be, and yet in no way can you affect any of the world you exist in.

"My misery was so I great that eventually I slew myself, passing from this world to the Unseen Realm. There I saw Mwynn herself nearly consumed by Chaos, and just before I overtook her she charged me with watching over the borders of life and death and keeping the unseen Chaos contained in Valhalla," Etro explained. I stared at her, and she said "Do you not see. The only reason I became the goddess of time and death in the first place was because I had been left with no originally powers of my own- Bhunivelze, my father, had chosen to abandon me." For a long while I was silent, until I finally said "Why are you tell me this?" "I am telling you so you can see my father's capacity for cruelty. Please, just take these words to heart- anything concerning Bhunivelze should be treated with supreme caution. Remember that."

I began to nod when suddenly everything turned dark, and Etro said "You have to return to the real world now. We shall still be able to converse, but now about this. Everything heard by your friend Hope reaches my father. Take care, Deiru Tamashi." "Same to you, Etro," I said, before the darkness surrounded everything. When I opened my eyes I was still flying next to Lightning, who also opened her eyes. "_Light, Deiru! Are you guys okay? You disappeared off the scanners for a second_," Hope said. Remembering what Etro had said, I replied "We're fine, right?" Lightning nodded. "Yeah. So, we're being dropped off in Luxerion, right?" she asked, changing the subject. "_Uh, right. Teleportation complete_," he said, and we were both enveloped in light.

* * *

When the light faded it showed that Lighting and I were sitting on a train, all of the other passengers acting as if we had been there the whole time. Even without Etro's warning I remained cautious. I had been brought into the Final Fantasy world before the Lightning Returns game had come out. While I knew bits of pieces of information, almost everything about this journey was a mystery to me. I was, quite literally, riding into the unknown. With that in mind I turned on my com link, and said "Okay, Hope. Since we're heading to Luxerion, care to give me some information about it?" "_Not a problem. Luxerion is a bustling metropolis known as the divine city of light, and the holy see of salvation. It's the last bastion of peace and order in a dying world. Most of the people here worship the almighty Bhunivelze. _

"_The city's government is manned by a powerful religious sect known as the Order of Salvation. Followers of God, believing in the path to ultimate redemption, and help to keep the fires of hop burning_," Hope said. I nodded, saying "I'm detecting a 'but' in here somewhere." "_You're not wrong. Even in this pious city, a darkness lurks untouched by divine light. There exists another religious order, a heresy that rejects the teachings of almighty Bhunivelze, and stays hidden within the shadows_," Hope said. "Sounds like the divine city isn't so bright after all, huh?" Lightning said. To this Hope said nothing, but it didn't matter. The train had just arrived in the station anyway. All of the passengers, including us, stood and one by one walked out.

Once Lighting and I had gotten off we walked out of the station, immediately coming upon a scene in the square. Just in front of a miniature clocktower there appeared to be some sort of crowd, one that was speaking in hushed tones while armed guards kept them from getting any closer. Without saying a word Lightning I blended into the crowd, and eventually grew close enough to see what was drawing everyone's attention. Right at the base of the clocktower was a body, one of a young woman with pink hair. A couple was looking besides us, and the man said "It's another girl." "How awful," the woman said. "I'll bet it's the heretic's doing," the male added, before they both walked off. I raised an eyebrow, and looked at Lightning. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked. She nodded, and we looked closer. On our comms Hope said "_This was no accident. The body was left here intentionally._"

We both nodded, and Lightning said one word. "Murder." We both stared at the body for a few more seconds, we suddenly we heard a scream behind us. We whirled around and saw a woman screaming and pointing. Along with everyone else we looked, and saw a body dropped from the top of the station with a rope around its neck. "_Light, Deiru! You have to help her!_" Hope said. But I shook my head, and Lightning said "No need. It's just a dummy." Indeed, the shape hanging by the rope was a wooden life-sized mannequin, one that had been dressed in dark clothes and given a long-haired pink wig. "Hope, did you see who dropped it? They must be around here somewhere," Lightning said. "_My sensors didn't pick up anything. I'm running a check of the security cameras now, but so far I'm coming up blank_," he reported.

Behind the dummy a dark shape began to appear on the wall, and Lighting said "It doesn't matter. I'll just have to find out for myself." The dark resolved into a large patch of darkness with purple words written over it in Etro Script. With the goddess' help I was able to read it easily, and recited "'The evil savior will die at the hands of the Shadow Hunter.' Hope, got anything on that name?" "_No, I don't. Sorry_," he answered. Lightning grunted. "Luxerion, the divine city of light, is that what they call it? Trouble is, the brightest lights cast the darkest shadows," she said. I nodded at that. "Let's see if we can get some information," I suggested. We nodded, and while I spoke to some of the civilians Lightning approached the guard inquisitor.

"We need to solve this case quickly. Luxerion is the divine city of light, but it has seen the deaths of three girls in the past three days," the inquisitor said. "You mean this isn't the first murder?" Lightning asked. "No, it hasn't. And because of that, the people are growing fearful. If you find out anything, I'd be anxious to hear it. We have noticed some similarities between the victims though. They were all young women, and possessed rose-colored hair," he revealed. On reflex Lightning's hand twitched as it reached for her hair, but she stopped herself. The inquisitor saw the twitch though, and said "Yes, the same shade as yours. You may also become a victim of the killers. I urge you to be careful." Lightning nodded, and while the inquisitor walked off I came back from talking to the civilians.

"Well? What did you find?" Lightning asked. I shook my head. "Not much. From what I could, that heresy that Hope was talking about is the main suspect in all of this. The bad news is that until the Order makes some progress in this investigation, the area's been locked down," I said. "Meaning that if we want to get anywhere, we have to help?" Lightning asked. I sighed. "Looks that way," I said. Lighting sighed as well, before stopping. "What?" I said, and I followed her line of sight. Standing on top of a scaffold was a man that looked just like a civilian. But at that height, he might have seen something. Lighting ran for the scaffold and climbed up the ladder. Once she was on it Lightning said "Excuse me? Did you happen to see anything when that fake body was dropped?"

"No, but I'll tell you what I have seen- those white-garbed loonies known as the Children of Etro," the man said. I stood below, and perked up at that, the goddess also paying attention. "The what of Etro?" Lightning asked. "The Children of Etro. They're a religious cult that's made of herectics, and rejects the Order's teachings. They used to keep a low profile, but now they've been showing up everywhere. The Order's authority isn't what it was, and now those Etro fanatics keep wandering around like they own the place," the man said. I frowned, and turned my attention inwards. "Etro, have you ever heard of this group?" I asked. "_No, actually, I haven't. I know of many religious groups that worshiped me, particularly the people of Paddra in ancient times. But the Children of Etro... that name is unfamiliar to me_," Etro said.

I nodded, taking note of that, and while the man continued to speak with Lighting I saw an officer lowering the dummy to the ground. I came close, and he said "The same people who killed the girl brought that dummy here. It's important evidence, so don't touch it." I decided to act dumb, and said "So, can you gather anything from that evidence?" "Yes. The girl who was killed had rose-colored hair, and this dummy has a wig of that same color. All of this points to those heretics, the Children of Etro. They seemed to think the 'evil savior' will take the form of a woman with rose-colored hair," the officer said. I raised an eyebrow, but nodded anyway, and walked off. Lighting came back down from the scaffold, and I said "It seems whoever did this knows what you look like. How do you think they found out?"

"No idea," Lightning replied. It was then that I heard a loud sigh, and I looked to see one of the guards in uniform say "Dammit! Where is he?" I frowned, and walked up to him. "Something wrong?" I asked. "Well, it's the end of my shift, and it's time for my replacement, Holmes, to show up. But he hasn't," the guard said. "And you're worried about him, is that it?" Lightning asked. "He likes to make out that he's a tough guy, but frankly he's not at all. Holmes's been late before,, but never like this," the man said. "If we see him, we'll let him know. What was your name?" I asked. "It's Thornton. If you do see him, tell him Thornton is waiting- and needs to go home," the guard told us. We both nodded, and Lightning said "Got it." We both split up and began searching until we finally found someone in uniform hiding behind a mailbox.

"Are you Holmes? Thornton is wondering where you are," Lightning said. Holmes looked at her. "What? Oh no! Is is time for my shift already?!" he said. "It was time for your shift a while ago. Why are you hiding?" I asked. "Well, I saw the people who threw that dummy off the roof. I was hiding, just in case they saw me too," Holmes revealed. My eyes widened, and Lightning said "You saw the people who did it? Who was it? Tell me everything." Holmes frowned. "I don't have to tell you anything. But if you two can get me to the station without getting me killed, I'll tell you then," he said. I rolled my eyes, but said "Fine. Let's go." With Holmes at our side we began walking back to the station, and it was only was we got there there that he relaxed.

Thornton smiled at our approach, and said "Holmes, you're safe! I was so worried about you I could barely concentrate on my duties!" Holmes rubbed the back of his head, saying "Sorry, boss. I saw what happened with the girl, and I just panicked. I don't know why I got so scared. It-It won't happen again." Thornton shook his head. "Never mind. I'm just glad you're safe. Guess I never told you, but years ago one of my colleagues was killed by a monster. I was afraid the same thing had happened to you. I panicked as well, and asked these two for help," he said, gesturing at Lightning and me. Holmes's eyes widened, and he said "I can't believe no one told me that when I took this job. Sorry for the trouble, boss. I swear, I'm never going to be late again."

"I mean, what happened if your heart gave out from worry? Can't have that on my conscience," Holmes said. They both laughed, and although they couldn't see it Lighting and I saw a sphere of light rise from each of their bodies and hit Lightning's fading. Two souls that had just been saved. Holmes looked at Lightning, and said "Well, a deal's a deal. I'll tell you everything that I saw. I was the Children of Etro. I saw them throw the dummy off the tower." "Really? And you kept this from the authorities because...?" I said. "I wanted to tell them. Honestly, I did. But I was afraid that if I did those heretics might find me, take me to the graveyard, and make _me_ their next victim!" Holmes admitted. I had been half-listening up until that last part, and said "What did you say?"

"Oh yeah, didn't you know? Rumor is, whenever those Etro followers gather at night they meet in the plaza, and then go to use the public telephone over by the city graveyard," Holmes said. Lighting and I nodded, saying "Thanks." We left the two of them, and I looked at Lightning. "What you think? What might these Children be planning?" I asked. "Let's find out. We'll tell the inquisitor what we know, and once the blockade's been lifted we can tale the heretics when they gather," Lightning suggested. I nodded. "Sounds like a plan," I said. We ran back to the body site, seeing that the inquisitor was still there. He saw us coming, and said "Have you found anything?" "The goddess' disciples are starting to gather. If you lift the gates, I'm sure they'll lead us somewhere," I said.

"You're suggesting I let them go?" he asked, to which we both nodded. "Hmm... it's not a bad idea. Yes, I'll give the order, and we'll see what these heretics do," the inquisitor said. He looked beyond us, and called "Open the gates! The blockade will not be lifted!" "Yes sir!" the guard replied, moving out. While they did that I said "Thanks." The inquisitor chuckled. "It's rather ironic. These wanton acts by the heretics, instead of shaking my faith, has only made it stronger. I'm sure that when this world ends and the new one arrives, those who have bathed in the light of God's almighty grace she be liberated," he said. "If you think faith is what you need to be saved, than go ahead. Believe all you want," Lighting told him. He nodded. "Yes, I'll do just that."

As he spoke a soul emerged from his body, unseen as it entered the crest on Lightning's armor. That made three souls- just another couple hundred to go. I sighed, how would we find time to save them all. As if Hope had heard my thoughts, Hope appeared on our comms and said "_Light, I forgot to tell you something while you were in the Ark. As the savior, you can use powers considered holy to others. Even manipulating the flow of time_." "What? How can anyone freeze time?" Lightning asked. "_You can do it with an ability called Chronostasis. It has limits, such as not being able to be used over and over, but it will allow you to temporarily freeze time- including the actions of your enemies. You just need to concentrate, and you'll be able to do it_," he said.

Lightning nodded, and while she did I asked Etro "That makes me wonder- did our union give me any extra powers?" "_You means besides the sword Omnes and the Heart of Chaos?_" Etro asked, and I nodded. After a moment's silence, she said "_I'm not sure. Perhaps we'll fight out once we're in the heat of battle._" I nodded; that was where a lot of powers were discovered. "Okay, so now we just have to wait here until the Children of Etro start to gather, and then follow them without getting caught," Lightning said.

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The quest of Luxerion has begun! What are the Children of Etro planning? Can Lighting and Deiru figure it out? Who is this mysterious Shadow Hunter? These are to be answered next chapter!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	4. Chapter 4: A Powerful Beast

Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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**Notice:** More and more reviews keep piling in, all from my fantastic readers! Thank you all for those reviews, and so before we begin the next chapter I will reply to you all! (By the way, I changed one of the side quests, the "Born from Chaos" one, so it would have a storyline impact. Just to let you know.)

G.S. Phoenix: Oh rest assured, she will not be happy.

Ulquiorra9900: Thank you for such kind words.

Devil-l'Cie: Well, here's part of what happens next.

StorSpeaker: Thanks for telling me, and I'll be sure to do something on that day, even if it just wishing you a happy birthday. And as for your theory... heh heh heh.

CrescentMoon01: They did reveal a lot during the trailers, I will agree on that.

Draconeelans: I'm glad that you did review, and I thank you for the support. If you ever do get around to posting that FXIII story, let me know. I'd be happy to read it.

Gry17: Well, let's just say it won't be cheers and fanfare.

Rsdk525: Thanks for that, and for being so nice here's the next chapter.

And Guest: They will find out about it, one way or another. And the results will not be pretty.

And now, here's Chapter Four!

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Ch.4 A Powerful Beast

After Lightning and I had the barricade lifted we spent the remainder of the time until midnight helping out the citizens with what they needing, fighting off monsters, or the like. As we did we tried to glean more information about the heretics from them, but barely got anything. One of them, and elderly man, did say "Have you two heard about the Shadow Hunter?" We both shook sour heads, and the man said "The Order believes that he's the leader of the Children of Etro, but I heard from someone a long time ago that it was otherwise." "Really? Thanks," I said, and Lighting nodded. We both walked away, heading back for the station plaza, and Lightning said "Hope, what can you tell us about this Shadow Hunter?" "_Not much; the information's incomplete at best. Like that guy said though, the Order believes him to be the leader of the heretics_," Hope said.

I frowned. "Wait, if he's the one leading the cult, could he be the one behind the murders?" I asked. "_It's possible. And if so, then whoever he is he needs to treated with great caution_," Hope replied. "Got it," Lightning said. Before too long the clock above the train station chimed as it struck midnight, and Lightning and I hid in the shadows. As if from those same shadows the Children of Etro began to emerge. They looked exactly like the citizens described them. They were dressed in all white, from white hooded robes that hid their faces to white gloves, pants, and boots. They began to come together in the middle of the plaza, and I was amazed. There had to be at least two dozen of them. Lighting and I didn't move a muscle and watched as the last of them came together, and began to leave.

"Let's go," Lightning whispered, and I nodded. We followed the heretics as they left together, heading out the main gate. Lightning and I moved from cover to cover as we followed. Past the main gate they ran up a set of stairs that led to a back alley. They ran down it and we followed, hiding behind crates and boxes scattered here and there. The back alley surprisingly ended at the city graveyard, or at least the gate at the entrance of it. In front of the gate was a telephones booth just like Holmes had said. The heretics stood around there, seemingly waiting for something. Then the phone in the booth began ringing, and one of the Children answered it. "_Show that you one of us_," the voice on the end said. "In the forest of darkness Chaos holds sway. To the goddess of death, these numbers, I say. Seven, eight, nine, one," the heretic said.

After a few seconds the gate began to rise, and the voice on the phone said "_The rites are beginning. Make haste._" The heretic holding the phone hung it up, and all of them rushed through the gate, which closed behind them. Now that they were gone Lighting and I emerged from our cover, and walked towards the phone both. "See that? I think I just found our invitation to the party," Lightning said. "_Yeah. So when the phone rings, you have to give them a four-digit code. Simple- if you have the numbers_," Hope said. I rolled my eyes. "Oh yeah, very simple. So, since you the one giving out advice, you got any idea on how to get those numbers?" I asked. "_Try heading back to town and see what you can uncover_," he suggested.

Well, that didn't help. But I didn't say that to hope and we both merely began heading back. "_There's one thing I don't understand though. Why would the Children of Etro be targeting you, Lighting? You're here to bring salvation to the souls of humanity, and guide them to a new world. Why wouldn't they want that?_" Hope thought out loud. Within my head I could hear Etro say _"It's not that simple._" "She's right," I said. "Who's right? Etro?" Lightning asked. I nodded, and as Etro told me her theory I said it aloud. "To some people, the appearance of the savior means more than just salvation. Some see her as a murderer just like the heretics. Because she is known to appear at the end of the world, they also see her as a symbol of Armageddon," I explained.

"That makes sense. I can see why they're afraid," Lightning said, hanging her head. I frowned, and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked back up, and I took her hand. I kissed each knuckle, in between which I said "Relax. Even if the world hated you, I wouldn't." "_Same here_," Hope added. Lighting smiled, nodding. "Thanks," she said. Now that the issue was settled, Hope said "_Okay. Well, what do you want to do now? Do you want to look for that code?_" "Yeah. If we don't find it by the next ritual tomorrow, another girl will be sacrificed. I don't want that on my conscience," Lightning said. I nodded, and we left the graveyard. Along the way back to the station plaza we didn't see anything, but once we got there we were approached by a woman who looked like she was a hunter.

"Excuse me?" she said. "Yes? Can we help you?" I asked. "My name is Solandria. I heard that you two were looking for the Children of Etro, right?" the woman said. "We are. Why?" I said. "Well, I know that to get into the rites you need their code. If you do something for me, I can help you with that," she said. "Is that so? What do you need?" Lightning asked. "Well, as you probably guess, I'm a hunter. I kill fiends for hire, and I used to do the same with twelve other comrades. But then we were commissioned to fight a monster that took up residence in a Chaos Infusion, and the beast killed everyone but me," Solandria said. "Chaos Infusion?" I repeated. "You probably haven't heard of it. They're areas where the Chaos is in high concentration, and because of that any monsters appear in there are a lot stronger than they would usually be," Solandria explained.

"Anyway, the monster was already strong without being inside a Chaos Infusion, and the fact it was made it too strong for us to handle. I escaped, but only after everyone else in my team was slaughtered. So, I'm asking the two of you to kill it," she said. I looked at Lighting, and she nodded. I looked back at Solandria, and despite keeping a calm expression I could see the guilt in her eyes. This woman blamed herself for her teams' death. If we defeated this monster, we could save her soul. "Sure thing. We'll take care of this thing for you," I said. Solandria looked up, and said "Really?" We nodded, and she smiled. "Thank you. The Chaos Infusion on the bridge near the south side of the city. You just have to step inside and the monster will appear," she said. We nodded and left, moving south.

* * *

At the very bridge we were talking about a long figure stood, and looked further into the Chaos Infusion. "I know you're here. Come out now, and you may have the chance to hurt me before I kill you," the figure said. In response to the challenge there was a roar, before a Zomok materialized from the darkness. It looked down at the figure and snarled, before raising a claws hand and swung. The figure leaped into the air and held his weapon, a double-ended scythe, falling back down with inhuman speed and severing one of the monster's wings. The Zomok roared and glared at the figure, and tried to bite him in half with its fangs. But the stranger dodged and spun his weapon in circle, creating a deadly blur.

That blur began crackling with electricity until a bolt of red and black lighting shot forward, blasting the Zomok in the center of the chest. The beast roared before it fell to the ground, twitching and smoking. The figure stopped spinning his weapon and walked forward, dropping to one knee next to the monster. The beast looked at him with a gaze full of hatred and... fear. Like all living things, it was afraid to die. The stranger chuckled, and said "Well, I suppose I might yet have use for you." His hands began sparking with the same energy as before, and he placed his hand on the Zomok's forehead. The current traveled through his hand and into the beast, and it roared as the spell was cast. The Zomok could feel its body changing, bones snapping and reforming, muscles realigning, and its power growing far higher than ever before.

The figure stood and looked at the monster as it transformed, and smirked. "You should be a nice present for Deiru and Lightning. You may not kill them, but at the very least you'll come close." With that the energy of the Chaos Infusion shrunk and condensed around the two of them, the figure vanishing while the Zomok's transformation continued.

* * *

An hour later Lightning and I finally reached the bridge area Solandria had described, and paused. "There's the bridge," I said, and I drew Omnes. Lightning did the same and we slowly approached the area. To our surprise nothing was there- the bridge was as empty as any other. "You think Solandria got the location of the Chaos Infusion wrong?" Lightning asked. I shrugged, but then we heard the sound of an explosion, accompanied by several screams. Instantly Lightning and I ran for the source of the screams. It turned out that they were coming from the plaza of the South Station, in the middle of which stood a giant monster. It looked like a Zomok, or at least its middle head did, but it also had the heads of a Behemoth and a Zaltys, and the height of a Behemoth on two legs, .

It's body was made of patches of flesh from all three beasts, and it stood on two hoofed feet with two arms, one covered in scales and ending with three claws and the other with a fur coat with had five. When it turned we saw that the beast had a pitch-black cobra with glowing red eyes for a tail, which hissed and snapped its fangs, dripping poison. "Where the hell is that thing?!" Lightning said. Hearing her, the beast stopped attacking the civilians and turned to us, all three heads roaring. "Well, shit. Looks like this is gonna be our target after all," I said. The monster decided to attack us and began lumbering forward, hissing, snarling and growling all at the same time. Rather than be intimidated I said "Okay, tough guy. Let's go!" I charged along with Lightning.

I cast Libra and learned that the monster was called a Chimera, and that each head had the weakeners and resistances of their respective monsters. With that in mind I switched to my Dark Muse outfit, my sword being replaced by daggers. I ran up and slashed at the Chimera's left leg while Lightning cast Thunder and blasted the Behemoth head before slashing at it right leg. The cobra tail came around and hissed, lunging at her. She dodged, also switching to Dark Muse. She cast Blizzard and hit the head of the Zaltys. It swung at her with the three-clawed hand, and she flattened herself against the ground to avoid it. I cast Blizzard at the Zomok head and the cobra tail lunged at me. I dropped my daggers and caught the tail and it tried to sink its fangs into my arm, but I managed to stop it.

Before I could pick one of my daggers back up and kill the tail the Chimera turned, cast Fira at me. I let go of the tail and leaped away, just barely avoiding the explosion. The Zomok head roared and it began to cast Storm Front, creating a trio of whirlwinds around the fiend. Lighting moved away to avoid being hit by the wind, and the Zaltys head used Blaze Burst. It fired a massive fireball at us and Lighting and I cast Blizzard at the same time, our attacks colliding with the monster's. The two pushed against each other for a second, before the Blaze Burst overcame over spells and flew at us. I shouted and rolled to side, as did Lightning, but the moment I stood the Chimera used Stampede, running at me. I dived between its legs and avoided being trampled, but the cobra tail came down while I was on the ground and bit me in the shoulder.

I screamed in pain and Lightning ran up, swinging her Scramasax down and severing the cobra's head. The Chimera howled and roared simultaneously in pain, while I pried the head from my shoulder and rolled onto my back. Already my vision was turning blurry at the edges- the venom was working that quickly. "Deiru! Here!" Lightning said, and cast Curaga on me. My vision returned but just as quickly faded- the healing spell hadn't gotten rid of the venom. I groaned and tried to stand, my limbs feeling weak and unresponsive. But I managed to stand and sidestep another Fira spell. It was then that I feel to one knee, my breathing becoming labored as my lungs were affected. I cast Salvation on myself and my golden eye glowed, before I could feel myself filled with healing energy as the poison was cleansed from my bloodstream.

Even though I was healed I stayed on one knee, the cost of the Salvation spell being a fraction of my strength. While I was down Lightning ran up to the Chimera and jumped, swinging her sword down and created a long cut along its back. The beast roared and turned around to glare at her, casting both Fira and Heavenly Storm at the same. While she managed to dodge the first spell she couldn't avoid the second, and was thrown hit from all sides by winds possessing the force of actual punches. I took out a Potion and drank, replenishing my strength enough for me to stand. I called "Hey, three-face!" and the Chimera stopped, turning to me. It growled from all the heads and used Tail Hammer, swinging down the stump that had been the cobra at me.

I changed back to my Equilibrium outfit and blocked with Omnes, while looks over at Lightning. "Lightning, now!" I said. She nodded and ran up, holding her hand to her chest. "Take this! Chronostasis!" she called. From around her a wave of energy spread forth, everything slowing down except for her. I was even caught up in the move, and could only watch as Lighting ran with normal speed and swung, cutting the Chimera all along its right leg before jumping onto its arm and stabbing it in the wrist. She pulled her blade back out and ran up to the Behemoth, slitting its neck before leaping and stabbing the Zaltys head between the eyes. Just before the Chronostasis spell faded she jumped up, bringing her sword down along the monster's chest as she did.

The moment she landed on the ground time resumed its usual pace, and all three of the heads roared in pain before the Behemoth and Zaltys heads hung forward, dead. That left just the Zomok one, and it glared at her before using Swipe, Heavenly Storm and Blaze Bust all at once. But I shoved the tail away and used Energy Arc, hitting the Blaze Burst and destroying it in midair. Lightning dived into the Heavenly Storm jumped over the Swipe, bringing her sword down once more and stabbing Crimson Blitz into the Chimera's heart. The beast froze and went stiff, while Lightning pulled her sword out and dropped back onto the ground.

Rather than fall to the ground the Chimera roared, its body suddenly turning the darkest black before dissolving into Chaos. When it faded all that was left was just a Zomok, which fell to the ground and looked at us before its head hit the pavement as well. I put my sword away and slowly walked towards the beast, trying to make sure it was dead. Then the body turned dark and faded away as well. "Well, I guess that takes care of that thing," I said. "You did it!" I heard a voice say. We both spun around but saw that it was Solandria, who was smiling widely. "You two finally put an end to that vicious monster! I can't thank you enough," she said. "Your welcome, but I thought the monster you wanted us to kill was just a Zomok, and that it was living inside a Chaos Infusion, right?" Lightning said.

At that Solandria frowned, and said "Yeah, I don't understand why it changed into that thing either. But even though it did, you guys still beat it. Here, this is a reward." She pulled off a large object wrapped in cloth off of her back, and revealed the object to be a Pendragon shield. "This shield belonged to one of my comrades- hopefully you can make good use of it," she said, handing it to Lightning. Lightning nodded and took it, saying "Thank you. Now, you said you were going to help us with those numbers for getting into the Children of Etro's rites?" "Oh, yeah. Well, I don't know what the numbers are, but I'll tell you how to find them. You see, the numbers are inscribed on four different walls scattered throughout the city of Luxerion, and if you can find all four then you've got the code," she said.

"I'm guessing there's a catch," I said. Solandria nodded. "There is a small catch, The numbers appear only after 6 AM, and in between then and midnight you have to find them all to make it into the rites," she explained. "Four different walls, only after six o'clock. Thanks," Lightning said. She began to walk away and I started to follow when Solandria called "Hey!" We looked back, and she smiled. "I just wanted to thank you both one more time. Now my comrades can rest in peace, knowing that they didn't die in vain. And now, I can move on and get over their deaths. Thank," she said. Unbeknownst to Solandria her soul emerged and flew into Lightning, signaling the woman's salvation. I smiled, and said "Your welcome," before walking away.

"Well, that's another soul taken care off," I said. "Right. It's 2 AM right now, so we have four hours until those numbers show up," Lightning said. I nodded, and we began heading back for the station. If we had four hours to spare, we would spend it helping the people. There were a lot more souls left to save.

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And so the fourth chapter comes to an end. Will Lightning and Deiru be able to find the code and make it into the rites? Who is this scythe-wielding figure that created the Chimera? What will happen next? Stay on board to find out!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	5. Chapter 5: Finding a Cure

Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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**Notice:** Just five chapters in and Strings Unraveled has already gotten a thousand views?! Are you kidding me? I thank you all for this great privilege, and so I'll post more of the story you love, along with the replies to the awesome reviews!

Gundam-Knight-Chris: Thank you for the kind words.

Devil-l'Cie: Thanks, and the Chimera was indeed meant as a surprise. But what others surprises are there, you ask? Just wait and see.

Snowball Girl: They are still there, but her feelings aren't what they once more. And that will have an impact own the line.

Rsdk525: You may or may not be right, and I'll just leave it at that. Heh heh heh. As for why that weapon, when the figure's identity is revealed that person will explain why.

And X-Ranger1: I have heeded your words, and so I shall.

And now, here is the fifth chapter hot off the press!

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Ch.5 Finding a Cure

"Here," I said, handing a girl her missing Carbuncle doll. She smiled and said "Thank you. You know, I never expected to get this back. This doll disappeared into the Chaos, along with my mommy. But if you found this doll, then maybe someday I'll find her as well!" Lightning let out the smallest of smiles, saying "Maybe." The girl nodded and ran said "Bye!" before running off. Her soul entered Lightning and was saved as well, and she said "Another one saved." I nodded, checking a clock that was hanging from the station. It was 4 AM now, which meant that we had two more hours until the numbers we needed to find would appear on the walls. Just as I was thinking that, we got a transmission from Hope. "_Light, Deiru. I forgot to tell you this, but when the clock strikes six you have to be teleported back to the Ark_."

"You're giving the Savior a curfew?" Lightning asked, mildly surprised. "_I honestly have no control over it- it's mandatory that the both of you come back to the Ark and offer up the Eradia you have gathered at 6 o'clock every morning_," he said. I rolled my eyes. "Seriously? That's just when the numbers show up on the walls here in Luxerion!" I said. "_Relax. It's just so that you can replenish what items you have and rest up. Time of frozen here in Ark, so you won't lose even a millisecond of the time you need to search_," he explained. I nodded, satisfied, and Lightning and I continued our efforts. There was one boy who wanted us to fetch him a ball, another that challenged Lightning to a foot-race, a deal who wanted us to obtain crystals called Soul Seeds from inside a Chaos Infusion, and even a woman who wanted us to make sure all of the clocks in the city were working properly.

I knew that these quests were important, and each time we fulfilled one of them we were saving the soul of someone. But still, fetching a ball or checking on clocks? I don't know why, but for some reason I was feeling kind of restless. Until we saw a girl wearing ragged clothes and sitting on a wall near the marketplace, and her story sucked that right out of me. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Lightning asked. "If only that were my problem. I would gladly take that over this," she replied. I raised an eyebrow, and dropped to one knee in front of her. "Tell me what's wrong. What's your name?" I asked. "My name is Blythe. As to what's wrong, my father's fallen ill. It's bad. He might not make it," Blythe said. I gasped ever so slightly, and my restlessness was gone. "I cam here to the city looking for a remedy I'd heard about. It's sold out everywhere though," she continued.

"You checked all the merchants?" Lightning asked. "Well, I found one shop that could make what I needed, but only if I brought them the ingredients... If only it were that simple. But I don't have a gil to my name. I can't get my hands on them," Blythe said. I frowned, and looked at Lightning. She nodded slightly. Helping others solve their problems have given us a bit of gil. Seeing our expressions, Blythe said "Are you willing to help me? Can you find what I need to save him?" I smiled and nodded, saying "Sure." Blythe's expression changed from despair to hopeful. "Really?" she said. "That shop you mentioned, is it in the area?" We stood and walked off, searching for the shops. In reality it wasn't hard- the Chocobo Emporium was run by a girl wearing a yellow chocobo outfit.

"Welcome to the Chocobo Emporium! How can I help you?" she asked. "I was told about a special medicine only you can make," Lightning said. "Ah, yes. Say no more. You want a flask of our super special, the Spectral Elixir, right? No problem!" the clerk said. She walked into the back of the shop, and we waited there for a few seconds. There was some shuffling, grunts from moving boxes and muttering, before the clerk came back with a frown. "I'm sorry, we're all out. I'm really Sorry! You're the second set of customers we had to break the bad news to today. I could make it, but I can't get my hands on the ingredients. I wish I could have helped you, or even that poor girl. She needed it for a family member who took a turn for the worse," she said.

"We're here for her, actually. If we brought the ingredients, could you make more?" I asked. "Of course! And I'll do it for free. Anything to help a fellow resident! I need a Thunderclap Cap, a Mandragora Root, and a Shaolong Gui Shell," the clerk said. Lightning and I nodded and we left, searching for the ingredients. We found a merchants by the name of Serger who sold us the Shaolong Gui Shell, and a woman named Grocer who sold us the Mandragora Root. All that was left was the Thunderclap Cap. "Why don't you take theses back and get the girl started on making that elixir. I'll find the last one and meet you up there, okay?" I suggested. Lightning nodded and said "Be careful." I nodded in return, and we parted ways.

I found the Thunderclap Cap in a side-street, and it was distinctive by the fact that it was a bright blue mushroom. When I cam close though I heard a growl, and turned to see an Anubys slowly walk towards me. I groaned, saying "Really?" Nonetheless I pulled Omnes off my back, and moved into a battle stance. The Anubys roared before charging at me, raising its ax high above its head. It swung down and I blocked, pushing beast off-balance. I took the chance to charge and swing from the side, but the Anubys blocked my attack and countered. It used an upwards swing and knocked Omnes out of hands. The beast smirked, thinking I was done for. But when it swung at me again I ducked, jabbing two fingers into its wrist.

The Anubys' arm spasmed and it let go, dropping its ax. I caught it and spun around, burying the edge of the massive weapon in the monster's shoulder. It roared and tried to back away, but I pulled it closer and used my free hand to punch it in the mouth, loosening a few fangs. Then I ripped the ax back out and cast Thunder to stun the Anubys. It worked, and I swung one more time and actually beheaded the monster, taking its head right off with its' won ax. The monsters body flailed around from the nerves still being active, before eventually falling to the ground. I spun the ax in my hand and smiled- I liked this weapon. I changed into my Dark Muse outfit and replaced the daggers with the ax, before uprooting the Thunderclap Cap and walking away, while the Anubys' remains faded into the Chaos.

I met up with Lightning in front of the shop and she looked at the ax, saying "Where did you get the weapon?" I smiled. "Spoils of war," I answered, and she smiled. "Take a lot to get it?" she asked, and I shrugged. "Not really. I also got this," I said, holding up the mushroom. She took it and turned to the clerk, holding up all three items. "Is this everything you need for the medicine?" she asked. The chocobo girl gaped, before saying "You managed to get everything on the list? Incredible! Now, give me a few minutes while I work my magic." She took the items and walked in the back, cooking them and mixing them together. It really took her more than few minutes, but when she came out it was with a huge smile. She was carrying a bottle of the Spectral Elixir, and handed it to us.

"Here you go. The greatest man-made remedy of all time!" she said. "Thank you," I said, pocketing the medicine. "I hope this works. What am I saying? I know it'll work! Hurry on back to that poor girl so she can help her father!" the clerk said. We nodded, and left. Blythe was sitting in the same place as before, and looked up at our approach. "We have something for you. Here," Lightning said, and I pulled out the elixir. Blythe's face colored with shock, and stood. "Is this really what I think it is? Are you absolutely sure I can have this?" she asked. "I said you could, didn't I? Now go and take it to your father," Lightning said. I nodded and handed her the bottle, which she took ever so slowly. "Oh, I-I will! Thank you! You know, you have just saved his life. You two are a pair of the good ones. I didn't think there were any left. I don't know what to say," Blythe said.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "I had just about lost faith in everyone. I didn't think anyone was going to help me," Blythe admitted. "Did you tell people about your situation? If they knew..." Lightning said. Blythe scoffed. "I tried, but no one even bothered to hear me out. And it wasn't even about the money. They just didn't want to get involved. I can't blame them for avoiding a poor girl living in the conditions I do. I'd about given up by the time you arrived. You were the only ones who bothered to ask of anything was wrong, you know that? I guess there's still a bit of light in this city, after all," she said. "Of course there is. It took a while, but you ended up getting what you needed to help your father, didn't you? Even though the world is consumed by darkness, people are still willing to help others. Have faith," Lightning said.

"You're right. So what are the two of you? Some kind of angels sent from heaven or something?" she asked curiously. I chuckled, muttering "We're closer to that than you might think." She didn't hear my mutter though, and said "I know the world is ending soon, and there's little time to do much else, but I pray the rest of your days are bright andd full of bliss for you and your loved ones," Blythe said. "Yeah. Same to you," I said. Blythe nodded, and her soul emerged as she was freed from her despair. While she left and took the bottle of medicine to go help her father, I looked at Lightning. "Well, that was about the last of what we can do here in Luxerion until the numbers show up," I said. She nodded, seeing where I was going. "Alright then; let's see what we can do in Yusnaan," she said.

We traveled for the North Station and purchased tickets for the next train to Yusnaan. Once we had paid for the tickets the waited for the train to come, and once it arrived we boarded it for Yusnaan.

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Once the train made it to Yusnaan we got off, and looked around. "From the town of religion to the glittering city," I said. "So this is how Snow entertains himself these days?" Lightning asked. "_I don't know if he finds it entertaining, but it's certainly his doing. Yusnaan is Snow's town now. The residents call him the Patron, and he manages everything- especially the parties and feasts_," Hope said. I looked around, noticing a poster on the wall that proclaimed of a coming show. "_I heard that he wanted people to enjoy what time they have left. But theses days he's hiding in his palace. Who knows what he's thinking,_" Hope added. "If I could I'd go visit, but I don't think I'm wanted there," Lightning said. "Same here. Think we should've pulled our punches?" I asked.

"_No, it was the right thing to do at the time. I really thought that if you confronted him head-on, he'd pen up to you. But people can change_," Hope said. At that I frowned. Have the years really changed him? The Snow I remembered was always a happy-go-lucky guy, almost annoyingly so. He hoped for the best in everyone, and so they returned the favor. Looking over at Lightning, I could see she felt the same. That had been the reason why she could accept Serah marrying Snow. But while she slept and I watched over her crystal, Snow had to live every day seeing the world slowly die. Hundreds of years, hope crumbling away each way and not giving a single sign of release. As I looked at poster it fluttered in the breeze, before flying away. No one could survive staring into the shadows for that long and come out the way they were before.

We stepped out of the station and saw our first real look at the city of Yusnaan (we'd only seen the palace the first time). It was the complete opposite of Luxerion, where everyone was calm and collected, reverent in their prayers and looking forward only to the day salvation came. Here in Luxerion people didn't look like they were worrying about the future- they were focused on the now. I had heard the city was divided into area each assigned a name by what mainly took up that area. The station opened up into the main restaurant area, which was aptly named the Gluttons' Quarters. In almost every direction there were restaurants of varying quality and finesse, and the various smells wafting from each one nearly set my mouth to watering.

"You know, if we weren't focused on saving the world, I might actually like to sample of couple of these places," I said. Lightning chuckled. "Maybe. But we do have a job, so let's get it done," she said. I nodded, but then saw that she had frowned. "What's up?" I asked. "We're the ones protecting the people, but if anyone should, it's Snow. But instead he's hiding inside that palace, presiding over endless banquets. It doesn't look like he's doing a thing to stop the Chaos, isn't that right?" she said. "_Yes, and the situation is reaching critical levels. If Yusnaan is lost, it'll mean the beginning of society's collapse_," Hope said. I frowned, asking "Why would that be?_ "All of the people in this world live and depend on the goods made here, in this city. If Yusnaan is lost, along with its abundance of supplies, the end of humanity will come even before the end of the world_," he explained.

I smiled. "Well, we'll just have to make sure that the Chaos doesn't overtake the city, huh? Starting with helping its inhabitants," I said. Lightning nodded, and looked one of the clocks that hung from a restaurant. "Yeah. With all the time it took to gather those ingredients and take the ride here, it's 5 AM now. We've got one hour until those numbers show up back in Luxerion. Let's take care of what we can get done here, and then hitch a ride back," she said. "Sounds like a plan to me," I said. We began moving forward, and that was when I noticed a pair of posters pinned to a wall, and stopped. "Light, you want to see this," I said. Lightning stopped and looked at them frowning. It was a pair of wanted posters, and on each of them was a picture of us.

The poster with Lightning said "Wanted: The Savior. Distinguishing Feature: Rose-colored hair. Crimes: Attempted assassination of the Patron, treason. The Order's Public Safety Division: Yusnaan Branch." The one that had my picture said "Wanted: The Protector. Distinguishing Feature: Bi-colored eyes; one blue and one golden-yellow. Crimes: Assisting the Savior in attempted assassination of the Patron, treason. The Order's Public Safety Division: Yusnaan Branch." Behind us we heard a civilian pass by, and he muttered to his companion "They say some girl called herself 'the savior' and a guy proclaiming to be 'the protector' are wanted for questioning. According to the rumors on the streets, they can steal your very soul. They busted their way into the palace, and tried to take out the Patron himself."

"_It seems crashing that party put you on the city's radar. The guards are looking for you. Sneaking into the palace again is going to be a challenge_," Hope said. "Yeah, I don't think I'll go unnoticed this time," Lightning said, before smiling. "So, maybe we can use our notoriety to our advantage," she thought aloud. I looked at her, quickly catch on. "You mean drawing the guards to us on purpose to throw the city security into confusion?" I asked, and she nodded. "_That's actually not a bad idea_," Hope said. I grunted. "Even so, we should only let ourselves get caught if we want to. Hold on a second," I said. I closed my eyes and channeled the power of Etro, snapping from my fingers. Wisps of Chaos appeared around us before solidifying into matter.

On me was the black leather trench coat I had worn a long time ago, with the hoodie up. Lightning wore the same thing, only while mine was black hers was white. Lighting inspected the new clothing, and said "Hm. Not bad." I smiled, saying "I try. Now, let's find a guard and raise hell, huh?"

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The beginning of Yusnaan has occurred, and soon is the collection of numbers. And following that, the entering of the Children of Etro's rites! What will they find there? Keep reading to find out!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	6. Chapter 6: Culinary Attractions

Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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**Notice:** Another chapter has come, and I have more reviews to reply to! I thank you all for that, and so I shall!

Devil-l'Cie: Oh, they will be big.

SolidSamurai223: That will be a focus point for the plot line, so I hope its satisfactory.

Rsdk525: As the saying goes "time is money", so thanks for the compliment.

Gry18: Happy birthday man. Hope you enjoyed it, and this chapter as well.

And now, here is Chapter Six!

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Ch.6 Culinary Attractions

It didn't take long for me and Lightning to find a guard, this one standing near a giant statue of the fal'Cie Cactuar. Once we got close we pulled off the hoods of our coats, and the guard shouted when he saw us. "Hey! You there!" he called. We stopped, turning. "You mean us?" I asked cluelessly. "I know your faces. You're the ones I've seen on the posters," he said. "Oh no, you've seen through my elaborate disguise Yes, I'm the savior, here to steal the soul of your precious Patron," Lightning said sarcastically. The guard stared, and I said "Well, what's taking so long? Catch us and you'll probably get a raise. Although considering here's two of us, you might need some back-up." "S-Shut up! I don't need the two of you to tell me how to do my job, you damn criminals!" he said.

Then the guard pulled out a radio, and yelled into it "All units, I've spotted the savior near the Gluttons Quarter! All units converge on that area!" Then he put his radio away and pulled out his gun, saying "Eat lead!" and firing. Lightning blocked with the Pendragon shield and I did the same with Omnes. Once the guard ran out of bullets he stopped to reload, and Lightning charged. Making sure not to kill the guard, she flipped her sword over in her hand and slammed the butt of it against the side of the guard's head. He groaned but wasn't knocked out, trying to shoot her. I cast Fire and hit the gun with a ball of fire, melting it somewhat. The guard tried firing but the bullet got stuck in the barrel, leaving it useless.

Lightning ended his struggle with an uppercut that actually took him off of his feet and sent him back, landing in a sprawled heap on the pavement. "We should probably go. There will be more coming here soon," I said. Lightning nodded and put the hood to her coat back on, while I did the same. We both began running and actually saw several of the guards in front of us, running. We ducked our heads and the guards barreled right past us, not seeing our faces. They converged around the unconscious guard and almost instantly began arguing. Where was the savior? I chuckled, as did Lightning, and we both walked back to the Glutton's Quarter. We still had a little time left before it was 6 AM and we returned to the Ark, so we began looking for people who needed help.

As we looked I again noticed that all of the restaurants here in the Glutton's Quarter released mouth-watering scent's. But when I looked closer, I saw that I was wrong. All of the restaurants were big and successful... except one. There was a tiny restaurant located near the corner of the area, made unnoticeable by all the more successful ones around it. I saw that the man working at the counter, who as also the chef, seemed rather depressed. Looking over at Lightning, I saw that she had noticed him too. We both walked closer, and on our approach the chef looked up. He was fairly dark-skinned and wore the traditional chef's hat, all with some clothes that had seen better days. Seeing the chance for customers, he said "Welcome! This is Seedy's Restaurant! What can I get you?"

"Well, what do you serve?" Lightning asked. "Anything you want! How about the chef's special, made from top-quality recycled material? Deep-fried Niblet hairballs!" Seedy said. I raised an eyebrow. "Hairballs? Are you sure that's edible?" I asked. "Oh, yes. It definitely won't kill you. I can guarantee it! And since you're the first customer in days, no charge!" Seedy said. I thought about. Well, it was kind of hard to turn down free food when it was being handed to you on a silver platter, so to speak. I nodded and said "Why not?" I took one, as did Lightning, who said "Nothing ventured..." "That's the spirit! Take the plunge, I say!" Seedy said, smiling. I placed the hairball in my mouth and chewed slowly, tasting it. To my surprise it didn't taste like much of a hairball, but really a meatball. And a good one at that.

"Say, this isn't half-bad," I said, swallowing. Seedy smiled widely. "Great! Well ma'am, what about you? Does it make your taste buds sing? Are you transported to culinary heaven?" he asked. "This is..." Lightning began, thinking. "Too tart? Too much salt, perhaps? I can brush it off, if you like," Seedy offered. She shook her head. "No, it's actually... really good," she admitted, surprised. Seedy visibly relaxed, sighing. "God, that is a relief," he declared. Then he noticed that he wasn't keeping his composure, and said "I mean, of course it's good! I knew you'd love it. I've been working on that recipe for weeks! Unfortunately, it's not very nutritious. People are more health-conscious thees days- which is ironic, considering the times."

"Nutritious or not, you'd think more people would come back for this," Lightning said. Seedy sighed, this time more sadly. "I guess it must be me. I just don't have a head for business. No matter how hard I work, I just can't seem to attract more customers. I've been living on the brink of financial ruin for years now. My son got sick of it, so he left," he said. "You've got the makings of a great cook, though, Why don't you just partner up with someone? Somebody who's better business oriented?" I asked. Seedy stopped, thinking. "Hmm. Now that you mention it, there a famous food expert here in Yusnaan. Apparently, he specializes in turned around lost causes like mine. I'll bet- no, I know he could help me. But how do I find him? I only know his name?" he said.

"And that might be what?" Lightning questioned. "Oh, it's Gordon Gourmet. Despite his fame, he's hard to track down. If you do happen to run into him, can you tell him about Seedy's?" Seedy asked. Lightning and I nodded. "Gordon Gourmet. I'll remember that," she said. "Thanks, you're too kind. I hope you find him!" Seedy said. We nodded and left, scanning the area. "Okay, so now we've just got to find this Gordon character. Where are we going to find a renowned food entrepreneur with a reputation for being hard-to-find?" I thought aloud. "Well, considering he's into food businesses, I would think he'd be at a restaurant. Probably a fancy one, too," Lightning hypothesized. I nodded, and we looked. As it turned out Lightning was right, there was a man with an air of business sitting at a restaurant called Banquet of the Lord.

We approached him, and Lightning asked "Are you the famous food expert?" The man stood, saying "Possibly. I do boast a certain renown in culinary circles, it cannot be denied." "Well, are the one they call Gordon Gourmet?" I asked. "Ah, I see you know me. What do you need?" Gordon asked. "Well, let's just say we've got a great business opportunity for you," I said, smiling.

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Some time later we had finished explaining everything, and Gordon sat back in his chair. "I see. I do hate to see a good establishment go undiscovered by the dining public," he said. "So, will you help him out? I can take you to Seedy's now," Lightning said. I could see Gordon's eyes widen, and he said "Wait, Seedy's Restaurant? I'm afraid you will have to find someone else. I'm sorry." "I can't convince you?" Lightning asked. "Impossible! This city is overflowing with restaurants crying out for the deft helping hand of Gordon Gourmet! I'm run ragged trying to keep up... And well, you see... Right, my rule. I have an ironclad policy. I cannot help an establishment unless the owner approaches me directly," he said. I was confused. The moment we mentioned that the restaurant was Seedy's Gordon switched his tune completely.

"You just made that up, didn't you? All right, can you do this for me? Just give me some advice now, and I'll pass it along to the owner. You don't have to come to the restaurant at all," Lightning asked. "That sounds... reasonable. After all, I'd hate to see a restaurant serving fired Niblet hairballs go under. Except if I give advice, I need to make sure it's communicated accurately. With total precision. And that means my messenger has to understand the instruction perfectly," Gordon said. "Well, I guess that rules me out. I don't know the first thing about fine dining," Lightning said. "Same here. I know some about cooking in general, but not at the restaurant level," I said. "Oh, you don't have to be top chef, or even a garde-manger. All you need is a discerning palate. Practically anyone can acquire one with a little training," Gordon said.

"Not sure, what mean by a discerning palate, but I don't think I have one," Lightning replied. "Trust me, it can be found. In fact, I think a tour of the Glutton's Quarters best establishments should do," Gordon recommended. I blinked. "You mean, sample a couple of restaurants?" I asked. "Exactly. Once you've done that, come back and we'll see how far you've both come," he said. "Well... okay. Let's go," Lightning said. I nodded and we decided to actually get something at the same restaurant as Gordon before we left. "Welcome," the maitre d' said. We ordered the lowest costing-item on the menu (naturally) and as we waited a maitre d' told us "When offering a complete dining experience to patrons, superb food and excellent drinks are nor enough. Ones must always anticipate the patron's needs.

"I am constantly assessing the dining space from the viewpoint of the customers. The comfort, the decor. Our customers come for more than just a meal- they come for the memories they can savor for years to come." Lightning and I nodded and ate our meal, leaving once we were done. The next restaurant we ate at was Terrace Cafe, shop specializing in sweets. Our server said "Customers come here to out down their shopping bags and rest their weary feet. Our cakes and sweets are the perfect pick-me-up for just about everyone. We put a lot of love into our cakes, and that's what makes them special. Their like treats for your palate and soul." I thought about what those two shops had said. So, I was actually learning something about dining from this tour.

Our third shop was a place called Stand 'n Sip which, true to its name, served all drinks and had no seats. As the man behind the bar readied our drinks, he talked to us. "From the elegant simplicity of a straight spirit on the rocks, to complex and fruity concoction with little umbrellas, we serve all kinds of drinks. Cocktails can be served shaken or stirred, chilled or warm. Everyone has their own preferences. We encourage our customers to consult with our staff to create the perfect cocktail to accompany their evening," he said. I thought about. I guess having a staff you can talk with did help business. It made the customers feel welcome. After our drinks we didn't walk far before we came to restaurant number 4, which had the very simple name of The Meat Grill.

"Step right up! Get the best meat and kebabs in Yusnaan!" the owner proclaimed. We both ordered a kebab, and while the chefs worked the owner said "Our meat is shipped directly from the Wildlands. We use only natural ingredients- none of that synthetic stuff. Grilling and roasting are the best. The key is knowing how to seal in the juices and the flavors, and we do that better than anyone else!" I could agree with this guy- back in my world one of my favorite food was burgers made on a home grill. That left just two shops left, one of which was right next to the Meat Grill- Fishy Flavors. "Every one of our fish is fresh caught and delicious!" the server advertised. We just ordered some fish and chips, and like all the others the server gave us some advice.

"We get our seafood fresh every morning. Come straight out of the ocean, and tastes great grilled or raw. A chef is even more important when preparing uncooked dishes. The way you slice a tuna makes all the difference in the world," he said. I smiled at that. I did like tuna. The final restaurant was called the Veggie Parlor, where the server was a woman wearing a pumpkin mask. "Even kids who hate greens love my veggie dishes. Vitamins in vegetables are determined by their color. You want to eat a wide variety for a well-balance diet," she said. We nodded and chewed one some sticks of celery, served with their special dip. After we were done we left, and Hope said "_Well, you've visited all the best restaurants. What do you say, guys? Thank you've learned all there is to know?_"

"Well, I know one thing. When it comes to food, no one can know everything," I said. "_Then why not tell Gordon Gourmet that? It might be enough to convince him_," Hope said. We nodded and went back to the Banquet of the Lord, seeing Gordon sitting in the same spot where we left him. "Well, how goes the culinary tour?" he asked. "We did what you said, and visited the top restaurants in the neighborhood," Lightning reported. Gordon smiled, saying "That is excellent news! So now, let me give you the advice I promised. If Seedy's Restaurant wants to turn its business around... er, wait! Let me ask you something first!" "What about the advice?" I said, frowning. "That will come next. But first, let me ask you this: You've eaten at Seedy's and the best restaurants in Yusnaan. What do you think was the main difference between the two?" Gordon inquired.

"Why? Is this some kind of test?" Lightning asked. "Yes. Exactly. Now tell me, what did all those establishments have in common that poor old Seedy's lacks?" he said. "Let's see... Everyone I spoke to was honest. They seemed honest and open. I don't think they were lying to me, but something... something seemed off," Lightning said. "Oh? Would you care to elaborate?" Gordon asked. "Well, it almost felt like they were hiding something from us. But they weren't doing it on purpose. In fact, maybe they weren't meaning to do it at all. They thought they were telling us the whole story," I explained. "Yes, that's it. I think all best chefs, restaurant managers and bartenders all share some kind of secret. Like a secret ingredient that makes their food stand out from the others," Lightning declared.

"What a wonderful deduction! You've hit the nail on the head! To think you discovered this after visiting only a handful of establishments! It is as you say. The best, most successful restaurants have a certain je ne sais cuoi, a secret something that makes their offering unique. And finding that something, that is what I do best. In other words, if the restaurant does not have that special something, then a simply cannot help it," Gordon said. "Then... what about Seedy? Do you think he can be helped?" I asked. "I can tell you this. The chef already knows his secret. The talent is there to make that restaurant a success. Unfortunately for him, the secret spice that gives his dishes flair is extremely rare. He cannot secure supplies, and that is why he struggles," he told me.

"Okay, what's this spice?" Light asked. "It's a wonderful little spice commonly known as civet musk- Seedy's featured this spice in all of its foods. But their supplies dried up, and consequently the place fell into a long decline," Gordon said. I looked at him. "You know, you seem to know an awful lot about Seedy's," I observed. "Well, a long time ago... Let's just say that we have a close history and leave it at that," Gordon said. Lightning shrugged. "Fine by me. All I need to know is that if I find this civet musk, the restaurant will start bringing in customers again," she said. "You are right. The problem being is that the only way to obtain the musk is by defeating certain monsters, such as the Schrodinger. Such as shame. All for want of single spice, his business is failing. He has the recipe for success. All he needs is the final ingredient!" Gordon told us.

I looked over at Lightning, who I could see was thinking the same thing. So we had to fight some monsters to get the spice? Not a problem at all. "Okay, wait here," she said, before taking off. I followed her, and Gordon froze. "What? Wait here? What are you-?" he began, before realizing what we had in mind. But by then we had already ran into the Central Area, where monsters were said to appear. The Schrodinger appeared in a dark corner, seeing us and immediately attacking. The good part was that the monster was pretty weak offensive wise, and so we were able to easily dodge. I cast Imperil and weakened the beat's defenses, after which Lightning cast Fire and Aero. It screeched as it was burned and then nearly knocked over, and cast Cura on itself. But then I cast Deshell and made it even weaker to magic, hitting it with Thunder.

The beast trembled from the shock and didn't move, allowing Lightning to run up and grab the beast by an arm, pulling it out of its floating shield. I smirked and changed to my Dark Muse garb, holding up the ax I had gotten and swinging down, cleaving the floating apparatus in two. With its only protection gone the Schrodinger tried to run away, but Lightning killed it with Fire before it could run far. Inside the remains of its shield I found a bottle of brown-red powder, and picked it up. "Well, look at what we have here," I said. "Is that the Civet Musk?" Lightning asked. "Looks like. Let's take this back to Gordon," I said. She nodded and we left the remains of the Schrodinger to dissolve into the Chaos. Gordon was still in the same place as before, and his eyes widened when we walked up with the spice in hand.

"Well, well, you managed to get ahold of some. It's very kind, what you're doing. Seedy's is lucky to have you on its side!" Gordon said. "Why are you thanking us? If anyone should be grateful, it's us and Seedy for all of your helpful advice," Lightning said. "Oh, er... Quite so. When you put it that way, of course you're right. I just get caught up in a project, and start thinking it's my own restaurant I'm saving... But, back to business. Here, I developed this new and original recipe. I want you to take it back to Seedy's with the civet musk you acquired. The owner will be waiting for you," the food expert instructed. "You're still not going there yourself?" I asked. "Er... I'm afraid that won't happen. Not ever again. However, that doesn't stop me from wishing Seedy and his work the very best. Please tell him that whatever happens, I'll be praying for his success!" Gordon said.

We nodded and left, but even as we did Hope came on the comms. "_Light, Deiru, are you thinking what I'm thinking? Do you remember what Seedy said when you met?_" he asked. "You mean the story about the son who ran away when the restaurant started struggling?" I asked. "Yeah. Great minds think alike. Seedy's son _is_ Gordon Gourmet," Lightning said.

* * *

Oh boy. With that conclusion reached, can Light and Deiru hopefully turn things around for Seedy and his restaurant? Can they even bring the father and son back together? The next chapter shall tell, and included in it is going to be a rather interesting plot twist!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	7. Chapter 7: Family Reunion

Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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**Notice:** The story goes on, and I still have more reviews to reply to! I thank you all for this, and know that after the replies and this chapter I'll be getting back to the main quest.

BlazingEdge: Yes, Deiru will be getting his own ride.

SolidSamurai: Yes, that will be epic.

Rsdk525: That's what I was aiming for.

Devil-l'Cie: Well, here it is, in this chapter.

StorSpeaker: It won't be before too long, rest assured.

And now, here is Chapter Number Seven!

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Ch.7 Family Reunion

I looked at Light in amazement. Gordon Gourmet, Seedy's son? "_Yes. And that also explains why Gordon refuses to actually see Seedy. Regardless, you should take Seedy the recipe and the civet musk_," Hope said. "Got it," we replied. We walked until we reached Seedy's, and he looked up as we came closer. "Ah, my friends! Did you meet Gordon Gourmet?" he asked. "Yeah, and he made a new recipe for you," Lightning said, taking it out. "You have to make this along with this civet musk. According to Gordon, doing that will save your business," I said, handing him the bottle. "Wh-Why thank you! This is incredible! Let me see it," he said. He took the recipe and read through it carefully, wonder and surprise slowly appearing as he read it.

"This... This is incredible! Everything here is in black and white- a groundbreaking dish! I'd never have thought to do have the things in this recipe! The genius of Gordon Gourmet oozes from every word!" Seedy declared. Lightning made a small smile. "Notice anything else?" she asked. "About the recipe? No, not particularly. It's well-organized, written in a clear hand... Wait," he said, looking closer. "This handwriting... These swirls, these bold loops... Could it be?" he said, shell-shocked. "I think so. It turns out Gordon Gourmet has a secret identity. He's your long-lost son," Lightning told him. "He is?! And you're sure it was him who created this wonderful recipe? But more importantly, he's in town! Is he happy?" Seedy asked, eyes huge. "Very much so. He's doing great," I answered.

"Except, I'm really sorry, but I don't think he wants to see you again. I can't tell you where he is," Lightning said. Seedy frowned. "But why? Yes, we quarreled when he left, but that was a long tome ago. Is he still angry at me?" he asked. "Do you want me to give him a message? I'll make sure he gets it," Light offered. "Well, er, how about this? I'm going to make this dish, just like the recipe lays out. Would you be so good as to deliver it to him? At the very least, I want him to try it. Truth be told, what I really want is for him to come back to Seedy's and work with me," Seedy said. "Perhaps if he knew I still haven't lost my touch. Would that be enough to entice him? I don't know," he said. "I don't think just words will be enough. But maybe if he tried the dish and liked it, that might do it," I said.

"Very well, then. I'll get started on it right away!" Seedy said, disappearing into the kitchen. We waited while he cooked, and I could smell the most delicious fragrance wafting from there. Just from the scent I knew- both Gordon and Seedy really did know their stuff. Eventually Seedy finished, and came back out with a plate wrapped in paper. "...And there it is. Here, please. I want you to be the first to taste it," he said. "All right. I'm feeling hungry anyway," Light said. "Same here," I added. We unwrapped the plate to find it was a steak, one which we sat down and ate. My eyes widened. I had a fair number of steaks before in my life, but this one was... Whoa. The flavor was there and packed to burst, but there was almost no fat, it wasn't too tough or too soft, and cooked at just the right temperature.

What got me though, was the spices. When I cooked I was always particular about the number and amount of spices used in a dish, and this one fulfilled the criteria with flying colors. "Wow. This might actually be the most delicious thing I've ever had in my life. Really, it's incredible," Lightning said, completely serious. "Why, thank you! Although, all the credit must go to my son. It was his doing. Here, I've made enough for one more. I've asked you for many favors, but would you do this one last thing for me?" Seedy asked. "Sure," Lightning said, taking the steak. We walked back to the Banquet of the Lord as quickly as we could without dropping the food, and approached Gordon. He didn't even have to look, saying "Oh? Do I smell what I think I smell? I do, don't I? That must be my recipe." "Yeah. Seedy insisted we bring you a portion, so you could taste it yourself," I said.

"I see. Well then..." he said, taking the plate from Light. Grabbing a knife and fork he dug in, eating it with as much gusto as we did. Once he was done he grinned. "Oh yes! A perfect balance of fuzzy mutton and civet musk! The palate sings- it's a microcosm of culinary delight! A theme park of olfactory and gustatory attractions! And if you think that's hyperbole, I've only just begun! This is even better than I imagined. I always knew he was a skill chef, but this..." he said. Deciding to finally drop the bomb, Lightning said "Yeah. So why don't you go back there and help him out again in the kitchen?" Gordon went stiff as a board, looking at us. "Go back? Wh-What do you mean? I've never... Oh, all right. That cat's out of the bag. You've somehow figured it out. What my true identity is. Yes, I admit it. I am indeed Seedy's son. It was a long time ago, but one day we quarreled, and I left the shop vowing never to return."

"We fought over cooking, you see. But ever after I left, I vowed that one day I would rebuild the restaurant. That's what started me on my journey to becoming Gordon Gourmet. Since then, I devoted every waking our to learning the culinary arts. After many years of study, I finally had an epiphany. I realized what Seedy's Restaurant needed to regain its former glory," he said. "You had a falling out over the menu, but when he saw your recipe, you father was thrilled. All he could talk about was how he dreamed of you coming back, so you could run the restaurant together like old times," Lightning said. "So he recognizes my ability! But, it's too late. I can't go back now. The fact is, I abandoned him and the restaurant when times were time. I'm ashamed. I can't face him again," Gordon said sadly. "You shouldn't feel that way," I said.

Just then we heard a voice behind us, saying "The young man has a point, you know." Gordon gasped, and we all spun around to see Seedy standing right there. "F-Father?! How did you find me?" Gordon asked. "My apologies to the young man and lady, but I wanted to see you again, so I followed them after they left the shop," Seedy admitted. "Not a problem," I said, smiling. Seedy smiled and turned back to his son. "What do you say? Let's start over. You set out on your own, did things your own way, stayed true to yourself, working hard to achieve your dreams... and now looks at what you can do. The recipe you created was amazing- I've never seen the likes of it before. What can I say except that I'm proud of you," he said. "But Father, I-I left you," Gordon protested. Seedy smiled again, placing his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Not in my wildest dreams could I have conceived of such a dish. Indeed, if you would have given it to me back then, I doubt I would have recognized its greatness. But worse, I wouldn't have believed you could be capable of such a thing. I always underestimated you, my son. For that, you have my sincere apologies," Seedy said, hanging his head. "It's alright. And for that it's worth, I'm sorry for abandoning you and the restaurant... when you were struggling to keep it going," Gordon said. I smiled. "Looks like the two of you made up, huh?" I said. "Yes!" Gordon replied, smiling. "Now, let's get to it, shall we? Together..." Seedy began. Gordon nodded, and together they said "We'll make Seedy's a success again!" As they made that declaration their souls emerged as one, both entering Lightning unseen by all but her and me.

I smiled. Father and son had been reunited, and with it their lives were given salvation. Together they left, and once they were gone Hope said "_That went well. A microcosm of culinary delight? Sounds tasty_." Lightning smirked, saying "You want me to grab you some take out?" "_Actually, what I would prefer is one of your specialty dishes, Light._" "I haven't spent much time in kitchens, but if you want something off the campfire maybe I could rustle something up. I wasn't even half as good a cook as Serah, but I have been I grill a pretty mean behemoth steak" Lightning said. "Amen to that," I added. All three of us laughed, and just then the clock struck 6 o'clock. "_Well, I guess it's time to bring you can to the ark. Hold on a second_," Hope said. We stood still before everything turned white, and we were taken back to the ark.

When Lightning and I returned to the ark it looked just like it had before. Hope was still sitting in front of the monitors, but when we arrived he stood. "Welcome back, Light, Deiru. Now, stop forward and offer your Eradia to Yggdrasil so we can give time back to the world," he said. Lightning and nodded, and she stepped forward. "As the world dies around me, I offer this blessing..." Lightning said, holding her hand over the mark on her chest. It shined and a large orb of energy came out, flying towards Yggdrasil. It entered the flower on top and the tree glowed slightly, before a large flower suddenly spouted from the side, growing rapidly until it was in full bloom. As a gift from hope, we received a treasure sphere containing the Red Mage garb, the sword Liberator, and the shield Juno Saspita. We replenished our stock of items and made sure our weapons and armor were properly modified. Once that was taken care of we stepped onto the teleporter, heading back to the world below. It was time to look for those numbers and enter the rites.

* * *

While Lightning and I were in the ark, the Children of Etro were finishing up their rites in the graveyard. Why did they last so long, you ask? The Children were forced to hide their beliefs away from the rest of the world- it was only during these rites that they could be who they really were. They wouldn't waste a possible minute of it. The heretic standing in front of them on a monument raised his arm, saying "Fellow Children, our rites are nearing its end. However, we have one more speaker who wishes to speak before us all, and proclaim the will of the goddess. Let him take the stage now!" The other heretics applauded as the one speaking steeped down, and another stood. Like all of the others his face was covered, but they could see from his build was just over mid-height, and finely muscled.

The heretic smiled, and opened his mouth. "Children of Etro, I stand before you all as a fellow member of our religion. I say 'religion' for that is what it is. Not a cult, not a brand of heretics, and certainly not a bunch of white-garbed lunatics. Am I correct?" he said, not yelling but speaking loudly enough for all of them. "Yeah!" they all called, others making various cheers. The resentment those words brought could be felt; if there was one word the Children of Etro hated, it was "heretic". "Those who believe in the Order of Salvation and their God reject us, claiming Etro's word as taboo, foolish to even speak of," the man said. The rest of the heretics began shouting in anger, until he held up his hand. "But I know better. While their great Bhunivelze slept away for eternity, it was our goddess that saw over life and death, keeping the real and Unseen Realm in balance," he said.

"Our goddess perished, and her destruction heralded the beginning of the end. Now only a small amount of time remains before Armageddon. But even with that in mind, the Order does not stop. They preach their words and dump poison into the ears of the people, and all for what?" he asked. After a moment of silence, one of the heretics got it and said "To keep the truth from being heard?" The man smiled. "Exactly! The Order proclaims their word to be true, and once the people are ensnared they will not listen to the truth! But we know the truth- the Children of Etro is the _true_ Order of Salvation! Were the world in our hands, we would be able to bring the light of truth to the people of Nova Chrysalia, and the word of Etro would not be rejected! If the Children of Etro are to save the people, we must destroy the Order of Salvation!" he called.

The heretics all sheered at that, until they processed that last sentence, and stopped. Before they could begin to doubt, the man said "Yes, I meant what I said. Think about it. If the Order of Salvation endures, the people will continue to be shown a false belief. As long as the Order stands, the Children of Etro will eventually be destroyed!" That brought a series of mutters, all of them concerned. They didn't want to be destroyed. "Yes. We must sever the head of this snake, before it swallows us whole. We must save the people, and tear down the Order of Bhunivelze!" the man said. Slowly the mutterings grew louder, and the other heretics looked at the man standing before them. Maybe he was right. "However, if we are to prove that we do not belong in the shadows, we must not continue to exist within them. No longer will we gather at night and scurry off like rats.

"No longer must we use these hoods to enshroud our face, keeping our identities hidden. We must take off our hoods, show who we truly are, and take up arms against the Order!" the man proclaimed. The others were unsure. The Order was massive, and composed of so many people. How could a group as small as them stand a chance against it? The man saw this, and said "My fellow Children, listen to me. All across time and throughout history, the greatest events ever take to place were set in motion by but a small group of people. Yes, we are small. But we have the light of truth on our side. Even in death, the goddess Etro shall watch over and protect us. This I promise you." The heretics were silent, unsure but slowly beginning to turn around. They just needed one more push. "If you do not believe that this is true, let me ask you this. If their great God could save the world, why would he not have done so already?" the man asked.

The Children of Etro stopped, shocked. Then they began to think, and started nodding their heads. "Yeah... The guy's right! We have to fight!" one of them, a female, said. Hearing one of their own agree, the rest began saying the same thing, until they were all crying out, ready to fight. The man smiled. "I am happy that you believe these truths I speak. At midnight tomorrow night, we will no longer meet in this graveyard. But rather, we will convene in front of the North Station as we always have, and we shall be armed to the teeth with weapons. Then we will march forward through the streets of Luxerion, bringing an end to all who stand in our way, and storm the cathedral of the Order of Salvation! The Children of Etro shall live on!" he yelled. The heretics all cheered, some also clapping, rejoicing in their newfound courage. But then one of the heretics jumped up and down.

"Hey!" he called. The rest of them stopped, and everyone, the man included, looked at him. "If we're going to be showing our faces when we fight, I want to know that you'll do it too! From the looks of things, you'll be the one leading us, so how about you take it off now?" he said. The Children thought about that, murmuring their agreement. The man shrugged, as if he didn't care, and said "Very well then. At your behest, I shall remove my hood and show my face to all, doing the same tomorrow night as well." The Children watched, and the man raised his hands to grasp his hood pulling it off. Once free of it he opened his eyes, gazing out at them all.

"You asked to see my face, and now you have. My name is Uried, and as one we shall destroy the Order of Salvation!"

* * *

Oh no! Uried has made his appearance! Now that the Children of Etro have been mobilized, will Deiru and Lightning be able to stop them?

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	8. Chapter 8: The Shadow Hunter

Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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**Notice:** As the eighth chapter has been posted, and with it Strings Unraveled has reached 2,000 views! That you all so much for this great pleasure, it makes me smile to know that my work is read. So allow me to reply to those who both read and reviewed, and then I shall start the next chapter for you all!

G.S. Phoenix: Thank you; that's what I was intending.

Rsdk525: Yes, a storm is coming, and this will not be the only time Uried interferes with our heroes.

SolidSamuria223: Those were two of my favorites as well, so rest assured I will not slack off when it comes to them.

StorSpeaker: In all honesty, I have never seen the show Doctor Who, but what I have read about the Master makes me smile at the fact you believed Uried to be like him. Thank you.

X-Ranger1: I appreciate the long-held support, and I thank you for it.

Devil-l'Cie: Well, let me answer that with a math equation. A lot of shit + A big fan= What's coming.

Gry18: I plan to do that with this chapter, and continue with the main storyline for a little bit.

And now, here is the beginning of the second day and chapter eight!

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Ch.8 The Shadow Hunter

The Second Day

When Lightning and I reappeared in Nova Crystallia, we chose to do so in front of the Luxerion South Station as opposed to the North. When we did the few people there at 6 A.M. shouted, scared out of their wits. We ignored them, as Hope was sending in another transmission. "_In order to infiltrate the Children of Etro's rites, you need to figure out their code, the 'four numbers'_," he said. Lighting and I both nodded. "Right. And if we don't figure it out by tonight, another girl will be sacrificed. I don't want that on my conscience," Light said. "_You have to hurry. And stay alert for the Shadow Hunter_," Hope added. "Got it; we'll keep an eye out," I said, switching off the com link. To our luck the first number appeared just in the corner of the plaza in front of the station. It was a glowing purple, easily noticed when set against the white brick wall, and read 6.

"All right, Hope. Looks like we've found one of the numbers," I said. "_Great! The first of the four numbers we need. You're not done yet, though. Keep looking. We need three more to assemble the complete code_," he said. I began nodding, but then I felt a presence behind us. I spun around and looked, but nothing was there. "What?" Lightning asked. Saying nothing, I asked in my mind "Did you feel anything, Etro?" "_I did feel that someone was nearby. Someone familiar_," she said. I looked back and saw that Lightning was staring at me. I stood straight, shaking my head. "I thought something was off. Guess I was wrong," I said. Lightning continued her staring, unconvinced, and I looked away. "Let's just keep searching, okay?" At that she nodded, and we moved out. The second number was at a back alley near the commercial district, but before we could get close we were set upon by two Niblets, two Gremlins, and a Gorgonopsid.

The pack of monsters came forward and Lighting drew her Crimson Blitz, while I was still in my Dark Muse outfit and drew my axe. We both charged, and while Lighting targeted the Niblets I took the Gremlins. Both of them cast Fire at me at the same time, and while I dodged one spell I swung and hit the other with my axe, knocking the spell away. They began casting another spell and I cast Blizzard, hitting the first one with a chunk of ice. It faltered in its casting but didn't stop, and they both cast Blizzard back at me. One of the ice chunks hit me in the stomach and I bent over, and the other chunk hit me in the back. I feel over but quickly rose to my feet, casting Blizzard on the first Gremlin again and swinging my axe downwards. I gave the monster a massive cut all the way down its front, and finished to massive kick to the "head".

While I was doing that Lightning used Blitz to attack the two Niblets at once, afterwards casting Thunder on the one to her right. The left one tried to come forward and bite her, but she spun around and gave it a cut right over one of its eyes. She continued and charged a Thunder spell into her blade, stabbing it into the Niblet. It jerked and writhed from the voltage before falling to the ground, fried from the inside out. Lightning turned to the other Niblet and it was about to use Glutton, but she stopped it with an upwards swing. Having attacked while it was using Glutton, the Niblet was staggered and fell back, where Lightning peppered it with Thunder spells. The monster flailed from side to side, before Lighting ended its suffering with another Blitz attack. The Gorgonopsid had hung back, trying to see which of us was more dangerous, and when it saw Lightning had defeated both of her foes first it chose her.

I was only seconds behind, burying my axe into the other Gremlin's side and throwing the beast, sending it flying until it slammed into a wall and faded away. The Gorgonopsid used War Cry and bestowed itself with Bravery and Vigilance, charging at Light. She saw it coming and swung, but the beast dodged the strike and slammed the front of its head into her abdomen. Lightning fell back and the beast used Virulent Breath, letting out a huge cloud of toxic air. I moved until I was behind the Gorgonopsid and used Aero, dispersing the poison and swinging with my axe. The spell signaled it to my presence and it leaped to the side, before pouncing at me. I held up my axe and it bit the handle, trying to pull it out of my hands. I refused to let go, and with the hound occupied Lightning cast Thunder. It snarled from the shock, and used Virulent Breath.

It was right in front of me and I couldn't dodge fast enough, resulting in my being afflicted with Poison and Curse. I began coughing harshly and fell to one knee, and the beast swung at me with its claws. I let go my my ax and moved back, avoiding it and casting Blizzard. The beast grunted from the impact of the ice and spat out my ax, turning around to Lightning and charging. She jumped over the being and swung as she came back down, slashing it on the side. The beast roared and moved back, getting ready to use Megabite. Before it could I came back up, casting Esuna on myself. I switched back to my Equilibrium Garb and my ax vanished, Omnes appearing in my hand. "Take this!" I called, and I severed the end of the Gorgonopsid's tail. It howled in pain and whipped around, and Lightning took that chance to charge to Dark Muse and slash it along the spine with Scramasax.

The Gorgonopsid's eyes widened and it whimpered, before falling to the ground. Lightning flicked her blade to get rid of the blood and I put Omnes on my back. "Well, that takes care of that," I stated. Lightning nodded in reply, and we looked at the number. This one was a 3, making that two numbers. "_We have two of the numbers. Halfway there,_" Hope said. "We just need to find the other two by tonight, and we can get into that ceremony. If I don't, another soul will be lost forever," Light said. I nodded, but I could hear Etro say "_Deiru, to the right._" I looked, and saw a person for just a split second before they disappeared over the rooftops. "You saw that, right?" I asked, and Lightning nodded. "_Strange. I thought I spotted someone following you two, but my sensors show nothing_," Hope said.

"Could be our friend, the Shadow Hunter. Maybe he wanted to drop by and say hello," Lightning theorized. I frowned. Not only the presence, but the shape of the Shadow Hunter had been familiar. A young man, and from the glimpse I got he was carrying a sword. Who was he? But I didn't sense him anymore, and with him gone we had to keep searching. The third number was, thankfully, free of enemies, and located in the warehouse district. The third one was a 2, making up three-fourths of the code. "So, we've got six, three, two, and one other number. We just need to find it to make a code," I said.

* * *

We weren't able to find the last number until after midnight, when the gates to the Warren, the run-down part of Luxerion, finally opened. In there was the last number, a 5. Next to it was a device that I recognized instantly, and gasped. "Is that an Oracle Drive?" I asked. We approached drive, but when we did the Chaos suddenly coalesced into a dark mass, which resolved into Lumina. Lightning frowned, saying "What do you want?" Acting as childishly innocent as ever, Lumina said "I'm here to help, why do you think? Oh, and to have some fun of my own." I glared at her. "We're some toys for you to have fun with," I told her. She rolled her eyes, saying "Sure, sure, just keep telling yourself that. You're your own person, not a pawn of anyone." I glared at her but she ignored it, and turned to look at Oracle Drive.

"Anyway, if you're going after the goddess's children, there's something you should know," she said, gesturing at the device. "You know what this is, don't you?" she asked. Lightning scoffed, saying "Of course I do. It's an Oracle Drive. It records the future." "Ah, good job!" Lumina replied, as if Lightning were a little girl. "Yes, this is an Oracle Drive. The Children worship it. Whatever they see in here, they know is a future that's bound to happen," she said. "And your point is..." Lightning began, trailing off. "My point is this!" she said, placing her hand on the Drive. It shined bright before releasing a pulse of energy, and an image appeared in the air above it. In it the world was enveloped in flames, and Lightning was there, slashing and destroying everything in her path. But then there was also... Noel. He was standing before me and Lightning, swords drawn as he charged.

My eyes widened, and I could feel the surprise coming from Etro and Lightning as well. "Question. If someone believes everything this shows..." Lumina began. Catching on, Lightning said "This... is the one who's going to kill me. The Shadow Hunter." I grimaced. No wonder the Shadow Hunter had felt like someone familiar. It was Noel, the young man that had journeyed alongside Serah and me throughout time. The images faded away, and Lumina asked "So, what do you think they'd end up thinking? I mean, if they saw the oracle I just showed you both. Well, savior? Can you guess?" As quick as ever, Lightning said "Sure. It would look like the savior appears on the final day, and she tries to destroy the world. But then a hero appears appears and put an end to her sinister plan, along with her Protector. That sound right?"

As much as I didn't like it, I nodded with her. "'The evil savior will die at the hands of the Shadow Hunter. According to that device, Noel's going to kill us," I said. "You got it! But you know what? They're very impatient, these Etro-lovers. So they've started the hunt without him. Anyone who looks like the savior is fair game," Lumina explained. "_That would explain why all the murdered girls look similar to your Lightning,_" Etro said to me. "So why hasn't he shown himself? What's he after? If Noel's supposed to be here, why is he hiding still?" Lightning asked. "Yeah. And not only that, but what would drive him to do it? He knows as well as us that the future can change. What could possibly convince him to believe the prophecy?" I questioned. At that Lumina smiled wider than ever, and looked at us. "Tell you what. Ask him yourselves," she said.

Both of us gasped, and we spun around. From above dropped Noel himself, rolling across the ground before rising to his feet. "Noel!" I called. He drew his blades, black versions of his old ones, and charged. Forced to act, I summoned my ax while Lightning drew her sword. Noel jumped and swung at both of us, and we blocked him. I looked into his eyes, and was startled by what I saw. There was no kindness like I had once seen, no heroic bravery. Now there was only anger, determination, and just a hint of sadness. We disengaged and he flew back, landing on his feet and moving into a fighting stance. Behind us Lumina watched, amused. Noel stared at us and we stared back, Lightning saying "Noel Kreiss. Or should I say... Shadow Hunter." "That's what they call me," he replied.

Not just his weapon, but his clothes and even his voice was darker. "Enter stage right, ready to play your role in the show," Lightning said. I lowered Omnes just an inch, and said "Why are doing this Noel?" "We don't make the prophecies. They are what they are, and the future happens whether we want it to or not. You're both going to try to destroy the world, and I'm going to stop you," he said. "You know that the future isn't set in stone. It can be changed," I said. He frowned at that. "Changing the future is exactly what made the world around us like this," he countered. "I'm not planning on destroying anything. But I can't deny that I'm here on God's orders. Bhunivelze... He named me his savior, and ordered me to rescue his people," Lightning said. "Exactly. And God and I agreed that I would be her Protector, to ensure that she remains safe in her task," I added.

"Right. Just like the oracle says," Noel said. I expected him to charge again, but then he put his swords back together and on his back. "But it's too soon for our showdown, Lightning, Deiru. When the time is right, we'll put an end to this- all of it," he said. Lightning glared at him. "After all the three of us have been through, you're telling me you still think these prophecies mean a damn thing?" she asked. "If you want the truth, I didn't until now. Who would believe the two would actually show up again, out of nowhere, after five hundred years? Yet here you are, just in time for the final act. Right on cue," Noel said. He began to turn away, but looked back. "You have to die, Lightning and Deiru," he declared. Then he ran, and grabbed the edges of a nearby building. Hauling himself up, he reached the roof and sprinted away.

I detected a light out of the corner of my eyes, and looked to see that Lumina was gone as well, having teleported somewhere away from here. Just then Hope came back on the comms, saying "_Noel Kreiss? Do you remember him, guys? He was with Serah on her journey._" "How could I forget? I was the one that sent them on their way, and ordered them to save the future. What happened was my fault," Lightning said. I shook my head and placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, it was mine. I was with them, and despite knowing how things would end, I failed to stop it," I told her. "_No, he chose to go on that journey, and fight for a better world. Yes, it did end in Serah's death, but that wasn't your responsibility. And in the same way, he chose to become the Shadow Hunter,_" Hope told us. Lightning chuckled humorlessly. "Right. 'The evil savior will die at the hands of the Shadow Hunter'," she quoted.

"_I hope that's not the case. But if the prophecy is true, you will fight each other, and he will kill you. So let's steer clear of him for now_," Hope advised. "Hide where? If the prophecy does come true, nothing we will have done will change it. Besides, we've never run from anything before, right?" I asked, looking at Lightning. She nodded. "After all, we're the ones who sent Noel on the fool's quest in the first place," she said. "_Do what you have to. But... Light? Try not to die. There's no one else who could take your place- Uh oh,_" Hope said, suddenly stopping. I frowned. "What's 'uh-oh'? Something wrong?" I asked. "_I'm not sure. According to my scanners, there's a large group of people gathering in front of the North Station. And not only that, but Chaos readings in that area spiked dramatically just now_," Hope said.

I frowned. "Want us to go check it out?" I asked. "_It would help if you did. There's something wrong here. Very wrong_," Hope replied. We nodded and ran for the exit to the Warren. After a few minutes we found it and made it out, hurrying. Once we neared the station we could also sense the amount of Chaos around us rising, and Hope said "_Light, Deiru. If you go much farther, I'm going to lose sight of you on my screens. Be careful_." We both nodded and took out our earpieces, as all we would get now was static. Deciding for a stealth approach, we climbed on top of the station and looked down at the plaza from the same spot where the dummy of Light had been hung. From every conceivable direction the Children of Etro were appearing, gathering together. But something was off. I frowned, trying to figure out what it was, until it hit me.

They had taken the hoods of their cloaks off. Now we could see the faces of the Children of Etro. There were men and woman, young and old, fat or thin, everything. And there were even more now than when we had followed them last night. "_What's going on? Why are the Children of Etro gathering here instead of having their rites in the graveyard?_" Etro asked. I relayed that "Don't know. But it looks like they aren't gathering for a tea party," Lightning said. A second look told me she was right; the heretics were armed to the teeth with weapons. There were sickles, battle axes, swords, spears, even the rare pitchfork or torch. We watched them gather in greater and greater numbers, until the plaza was almost full. When that was done one of heretics placed a wooden box in front of the station, and another stepped onto it.

I gasped, seeing who it was. "Uried..." I said. "What?" Lightning said, looking. I was right, it was Uried. He looked just the same as ever, although with some slight changes. Like before he was as tall as Snow and even wider in frame, all of it muscle. His skin was bleach-white and his spiky hair was now that same color instead of silver. He still had a pair of eye with blood-red irises, but now the pupils were slitted, like a snakes. Currently he was wearing the same outfit as the rest of them, and when he grinned two of his teeth were different, being a pair of thin, two-inch fangs. He wasn't wearing gloves like the rest of them though, and I could see that his nails were actually slightly curved, becoming claws. His voice was like as ice, just as cold and sharp, and he looked out over the rest of the heretics.

"Fellow Children of Etro, the time has come. Now we shall cast down those who oppress us, and bring the light of our goddess to those who have been ensnared by the Order's falsehoods. Long have we suffered to reach this stage, but now that our moment is here, we shall not falter, and press ion until we have won! The Order of Salvation will fall!" Uried called. The rest of the Children cheered at that and waved their weapons. I was aghast, and when I looked I saw that Lightning felt the same. Uried was leading the Children of Etro, and was moving them to attack the Order of Salvation. "We have to stop them. Now!" Lightning said. I nodded, Etro doing the same within me, and we began running along the top of the houses around the plaza. Uried raised his arm, pointing to the gate exit that lead into the rest of the city. "And now, my brethren, let us move out!" he called.

The Children all cheered again, and began running for the gate. But then Lightning called "Hold it right there!" They stopped and looked as we both dropped down, weapons drawn. The Children gasped at the sight of us, or more specifically Lightning. "I-It's her! The savior!" an elderly man holding a pitchfork called. From within the crowd Uried grinned, saying "Stand aside." They parted before him and he stepped forward, smiling at us. "Well, well, this is a surprise. Lightning, Deiru, I see your both doing well. Hasn't Noel killed you by now?" he asked, acting as if we were friends despite his words. "Not yet, Uried," I said. He sighed. "Well, I guess the saying is true. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself," he said. Then he looked back at the rest of the heretics.

"Children of Etro! Yes, these two are the legendary Savior and her Protector! But they are but just two. We have the goddess's grace at our side. Together, we can overpower them! Do not hesitate!" Uried called. Then he looked back at us, and raised a hand. The air in front of him crackled with energy before the Chaos manifested into a weapon, once that I guess was Uried's new weapon. It looked like a double-ended scythe, but while the bar was black metal the two blades were made of countless shards of bone fused together with the lines where they fused still visible, creating a pair of blades. Uried grinned and moved into a fighting stance, as did we. "Let us fight and kill the savior and her Protector! The world shall know salvation when we do!" Uried said. The Children of Etro nodded, and they all gave out a battle cry as they charged at us.

* * *

This is not good. Not only had the Shadow Hunter revealed himself to be Noel, but now Lightning and Deiru must fight the entire cult of the Children of Etro, with Uried at its front! Can they stop them?

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	9. Chapter 9: The Goddess's Grace

Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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**Notice:** Not even ten chapters in and I've already gotten fifty reviews! Total awesomeness! Thank you all for reading my work and leaving those reviews, and so I shall now reply to the latest of them!

SolidSamuria223: Thank you for the kinds words, and here's the next chapter to sate your curiosity.

Devil-l'Cie: Well, just know that they will be epic.

Guest: Hmm, that's a very good question. Read this and you shall have your answer.

Rsdk525: Yes, it will.

And now, here is the ninth and latest chapter for you all!

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Ch.9 The Goddess's Grace

When the Children of Etro charged at me and Lightning I quickly discovered two things. One: despite their enthusiasm they were poor fighters compared to us. Two: what they lacked in strength and skill they made up for in numbers. The heretics overwhelmed us and Lightning and I were forced apart, each of us surrounded. I could see that some of them were trying to make it for the gate, probably to go on ahead and wreak havoc on the city. "Oh no, you don't!" I called, and I cast Blizzard at the lever which would lower the gate. The block of ice hit the lever hard enough to turn it, and the gate thundered down with a groan. It slammed shut and I cast a trio of Fire spells on the base of the lever, melting it in place. Once that was done I turned back to the heretics around, dodging a jab from a spear.

I raised Omnes high into the air and used Blitz, spinning in a circle to try and hit all of them at once. While I cut through their robs they were wearing armor beneath, obviously ready for a fight. I frowned and cast Thunder at one of them, blasting him with a bolt of electricity. As he screamed and writhed in pain my eyes met Lightning's on the other side of the plaza. She had one of the heretics on the ground with her sword raised high, and we came to an agreement. These mighty be a band of overzealous lunatics, but they were still human. We couldn't kill them. Lightning released the heretic and knocked him out with a blow to the head, while I stopped the Thunder spell before it could kill the one I was targeting. He slumped to the ground, unconscious, but his place was quickly taken by another Child.

One of them to my right, a young red-headed woman with a sickle, swung at me and I spun around, kicking the weapon out of her hand. Hey eyes widened but I didn't give her a chance to pick it up, kicking her with my other foot in the solar plexus hard enough to drive the wind out of her. She fell down and one of the Children behind me had a sword, which he used to successfully slash me across the back. I cried out in pain and spun around, stabbing my sword into the ground. I cupped my hands and slammed them over both of his ears at the same time, knocking him out. Before any other the other heretics could attack I grabbed my sword and smiled, getting an idea. I had seen this done in _The Matrix Reloaded_, and had always wanted to try it. Keeping Omnes in place I grabbed the handle with both hands and kicked my feet into the air, turning so that I was parallel to the ground, and began running across the tops of the chests of the heretic's around me, moving in a circle and kicking my feet out as hard as I could with each step.

While I was doing that Lightning sidestepped a swing from an ax and blocked a pitchfork from another heretic, responding by jabbing the end of Crimson Blitz into their stomach. The fact that Lumina had broken the blade was actually coming in handy now- it made her sword the perfect blunt weapon to knock people out. Lightning proved that when she slammed the sword into the side of another heretic's head, knocking him out. Another heretic, one of the few holding torches, tried swinging at her and burning her, but she blocked with her Pendragon shield and delivered a job to the neck, causing that heretic to black out. Unlike with me not a single one of them had managed to hurt her, but still Lightning frowned. Both of us had seen Uried at the front lines during the initial charge, but after that he seemed to fade away. Where we he now?

As if to answer her question he heard a shout from above, and looked to see Uried with his double-ended scythe coming down from above. He swung as she blocked, sparks rising from her shield where they met. The other heretics moved back to make room for him, and he grinned ferally. "I can still remember the last time you and I clashed blades, can you?" he asked. Lightning gritted her teeth and said "Yeah." It had been over a thousand years ago, back when Lightning and Deiru were both still l'Cie. Uried had originally been an alter ego of Deiru's meant to appear in time of great danger, and that time they had fought had been one of those situations. Uried grinned ever wider, showing that not just his fangs but all of his teeth were pointed. "Yes. Had Deiru not fought to regain control of his body back then, I would have killed."

"But now I have my own body, and can do as I please!" he said. With that he disengaged and moved back, casting Hell Firaga. A ball of black and red flames shot from his palm and at her, and Lightning jumped backwards, landing on her hands and leaping even farther. The fireball hit the ground and exploded, unleashing an explosion of dark flames. The Children of Etro were quick to back away to avoid being hurt, and Lightning just barely got away from it as well. Uried didn't even wait for the flames to die out and charged again, spinning his scythe in a circle as he came close. I continued my work of kicking every heretic that close in the chest, but eventually stopped and landed on the ground, pulling Omnes back out and slamming the flat of it against the top of another heretic's head

It staggered back drunkenly and was pushed aside to make room, the other Children of Etro crowding in. "You'll never when. We will defeat you, and bring the light of the goddess to the people of Luxerion!" an old man called, swinging an ax. I changed into my Dark Muse outfit and blocked with an ax of my won, saying "Sorry to disappoint, but I won't be beaten!" I said, blocking his ax with mine. I pushed and he fell back, and a blond-haired man with a set of brass knuckles came at me, swinging. I ducked and grabbed his arm , using his momentum against him and throwing him into the heretics behind me. They crumbled into a pile of tangled limbs and pointed objects, and I cast Blizzard on the elderly man from before. I dropped the ice block on him head and knocked him out, turning to the other heretics.

They just kept coming and one tried jabbing me with a simple pole of metal, which I yanked out of her hand and slammed the end of onto her foot. The woman shouted and hopped on one foot, holding her other and inevitably falling over. Had I not been focused on fighting I would have laughed, and would do so later. Uried cast Poisonga on Lightning and the spell failed to stick, so instead he cast Toxic Aero. A wave of poisonous wind flew forth and Lightning held her breath, moving through it and kicking away a heretic that came took close, swinging at Uried. He blocked her and shoved, sending Lightning faltering back. He grinned. "You'll never make it out of this plaza alive," he declared, before raising his scythe. A red smoke trailed from the points of it, and he said "Children of Etro, feel the power of raw strength as I enchant you with my Bloodlust!"

The red mist burst apart and spread in every direction, the Children of Etro unknowingly breathing it in. They all went still for a second before crouching, their eyes glowing red with rage as they turned to either Lightning or me. Lightning's eyes widened; she recalled that spell all too well, having been hit with it herself. The spell did grant whoever it affected Bravery and Faith, but put them in a berserk-like state where all they cared about was attacking, no matter what they had to do or how hurt they were. "Die!" one of them called, swinging at Lightning with a large club. She dodged and watched as Uried snapped his fingers, the Chaos enveloping him. "No!" Lightning called, jumping over the crowd of enraged heretics and running for him. But by the time Lightning got there she was too late; the Chaos faded away to reveal that Uried was gone.

The heretics were still there though, and one them kicked her in the back of the knees. Instantly she faltered and the crowd swarmed around her, swinging kicking or even scratching with their nails. Now that they were under Uried's spell they were barely even human, reduced to simple rage and instincts. On the other side I was having the same problem, switching back to my Equilibrium garb and blocking a series of blows from hammers and swords. The heretics behind me rushed to simply tackle me down and and it worked, the sheer number of them overcoming me. I landed on my chest and struggled to get up, crushed under the weight of all the people on top of me. The heretics closed in and began piling on top of each other hoping to crush me and keep me from breathing. It was working- what air I was getting was coming in gasps now.

Before he jumped on one of the heretics kicked me in the side of the head, causing my ears to ring. Deprived of air my vision was getting blurry, but I could see Lightning shove an angry woman away with her shield before another heretics actually bit her on the arm, pulling her down. The others helped and I saw her go down as well, prompting me to call "Lightning!" Spots of color began to dance in front of me, and I could hear Etro in the back of my mind. "_Deiru! This is too much for you! Let me help!_" she called. I gritted my teeth, finding the strength to reply "_How?_" "_It's simple. Let me take over from here,_" the goddess replied. Everything round me was starting to turn black, and just before I passed out a said "_Fine._"

And then everything was no more.

* * *

(Point of View Change: Lightning)

I watched Deiru go under as he was pulled down by the possessed Children of Etro, and soon after I met the same fate. I grabbed the one that was biting my arm and pulled him off, punching him in the nose for good measure. I kicked, struggled and slammed my shield against more than a few of the heretics, trying to rise back up so I could help him. But there were just too many of them, and one of the grabbed my shield, using his increased strength to pull it away from me. Two of them grabbed my right arm and held it down, and before I could hit them another two did the same with my left. More of them pinned each of my legs, and now the only thing I could do was move my head from side to side. I could see one of them walk up with a large hatchet in hand, ready to chop of my head and end this.

I struggled harder but the Children of Etro held me down, while the one with the hatchet raised it up high. I looked over to see Deiru had disappeared under a pile of the other heretics, until it was just a single hand that was visible. For an instant I felt a pang of sorrow, even though all of my emotions were supposed to be gone. I was going to die here, I would have at least wanted Deiru to survive. Maybe he could have becoming the savior in my place, and possibly even brought Serah back. If the cost of that was my life, I would have gladly accepted it. But no, we were both about to die, here, in the middle of damn plaza in front of train station because of a bunch of heretics dumb enough to follow Uried? Fuck that. I struggled with all my might and managed to free my right arm, punching a heretic that was holding my left arm.

But then two more came and grabbed that arm, pinning to again. Now that I was once more immobilized, the heretic with the hatchet swung it down. I watched as it came closer to my neck, waiting for the blood to stain the blade... and it stopped. I blinked looking with confusion as all of there heretics froze as one, unmoving. Then I could feel a pulse o power, slow but strong. That power pulse again, and then a third time, like the tide of the ocean. Out of all the frozen limbs I could see one hand, Deiru's move and clench his fist. A golden-yellow aura surrounded that hand, and a light of the same color shined from within the pile of bodies. The power I was sensing grew dramatically, and I heard a high-pitched keening before suddenly the light exploded.

All of the heretics in the pile were sent flying, some only going a few feet while other crashed against something when they landed. Standing there was Deiru, his whole body enveloped in the same golden aura as his hand had been. "Deiru...?" I called. He turned to look at me and I gasped. It had been a shock after I first became the Savior and had seen him with not just his regular blue eye, but a gold one too. Now both of his eyes were gold, and they seemed to give him an otherworldly appearance. He turned away from me and looked at all of the heretics, raising a hand. "_White Wind,_" he said, but his voice was splintered, both his and another voice, a female one, coming out. I gasped, realizing what was going on. It was Etro- she was acting from within Deiru. At the goddess's command a wave of white mist billowed outwards in all directions, hitting the heretics.

When it did each one gasped, the red in their eyes fading away. The ones holding me were affected as well, blinking and looked around. When they saw Deiru though they stopped, also sensing who was controlling his body, and shaking. He looked straight at the one holding the hatchet, and Etro said "_Drop it._" The heretics instantly did and the weapon landed on the ground next to me, while the other Children quickly released me and stood. All of the others did as well, gazing at him. "Your Grace... is that you?" one of them, a young man, asked. Etro-Deiru slowly looked at him and raised their hand, the crest of Etro appearing on their palm. The young man gasped again, and dropped to his knees, bowing in respect. "The goddess... she stands before us!" he called.

The other heretics also got on their knees, pressing their heads against the ground in total subservience. Now that I was free I stood up and dusted myself off, picking up my sword and shield and walking next to Deiru. "Nice work," I complimented. They smirked, and it was just Deiru's voice that came out when he said "It was nothing. Thank the goddess if she ever gets her own body." I grunted and smirked, saying "Right." The other heretics were watching horror though, and the same young man as before asked "Your Prominence, why are you allying yourself with the Savior? She is Bhunivelze's pawn; the bringer of the world's destruction!" Etro-Deiru turned to him and regarded him impassively, saying "_The Savior is indeed the signal of the world's end. But let me ask this: If every end brings about a new beginning, would the Savior not also be the one who brings about a new world after this?_"

The Children of Etro all froze again, processing their words. Etro-Deiru continued, saying "_And her Protector is the one who has agreed to house my soul. By attempting to bring about his death, you also attempted to slay me._" The young man was shaking, the full scope of what they could have done now dawning on the heretics. Not only could they have killed the one who would have brought them a new world, but in the process they would have also killed the goddess herself. "Your Grace..." the young man began, before pressing his head against the ground again. "Please! Forgive us!" he yelled. "Forgive us, goddess!" the other Children called, pleading. I watched them beg and wondered what would happen now, turning. "Well?" I asked. Etro-Deiru was silent, thinking.

Eventually they raised their hand to the sky and fired a ball of fire, which burst into a shining light. "_There. The Order of Salvation shall be here soon, and in force. Do not resist, accept the punishment for your crimes, and then, when the world ends, those of you who have done as I have said will be redeemed_," they said. Not even thinking about how much being in the Order's custody was going to be unpleasant, they all nodded and thanked Etro over and over for her kindness. Etro-Deiru sighed and closed their eyes, the golden aura around Deiru fading. After a few seconds he opened his eyes, the blue in one of Deiru's returning as he went back to his old self. He groaned and placed a hand against the side of his head. "Okay, now I've got a killer headache. Let's get out of here, Lightning," he said.

I nodded, and we both walked out, casting a spell and repairing the gate so it could be opened before we left. Once we were beyond the plaza though, we saw Noel standing right in front of us, arms crossed. We stared at each other for a moment, before he turned and ran off. I looked at Deiru and he looked at me, both of us nodding. Without a word, we followed Noel.

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With the help of Etro the Children have been stopped, but what about Noel? What will happen next chapter with him?

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	10. Chapter 10: Inhuman Resolve

Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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**Notice:** The battle against Noel has come, and once I've replied to the latest reviews it shall begin!

Gry18: Rest assured it shall occur more than just this once. As for Caius and the Yeuls, just wait and see.

Gundam-Knight-Chris: Thank you for the kind words.

Rsdk525: That shall be revealed in due time.

Devil-l'Cie: I appreciate the comment, and I hope this battle is up to your standards.

SolidSamuria223: So am I.

And now, without further ado, let the tenth chapter begin!

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Ch.10 Inhuman Resolve

When we followed Noel we quickly lost sight of him, but he left his tracks behind for us to follow. Those tracks led us even further into Warren then we had before, to a place called the Den of Shadows. Normally the place was guarded by one of the Children of Etro, but Uried had gathered every last one of them in the square. Ow there were no guards, and we went right through the door. Once on the other side though we stopped, feeling a presence nearby. That presence made realized when we heard skipping behind us, and Lightning sighed. "Not you again. This is no place for kids," she said. Lumina dashed ahead of us, looking back. "Oh, I'm safe. The children of Chaos, they look after me. If you ask me, _you two_ are the ones that don't belong," she said. Then she leaned forward, asking "Is Noel that important that you'd chase him here?" she asked.

Without hesitating I nodded. "Yes. We were on the same side once, as friends," I told her. She stood back up and crossed her arms, wandering around in front of us. "But that was such a long, long time ago. Do you think he's still your friend? See, there's only one person Noel ever truly loved. And she's long gone," she said. I gasped, my eyes widening. Lumina smiled even wider. "The children of Chaos, they told me the whole story. It's a sad but sweet tale of a proud hunter and his friend, a girl called Yeul. But poor Yeul, she left a hole in his heart that just can't be filled. It's not surprising though, considering she died in his arms," she told us. I frowned and closed my eyes, remembering. During our journey through time, Serah, Noel and I had each been locked away in a separate dreamworld.

Serah and I escaped from ours into Noel's, and watched the very moment Lumina was talking about. "In that last moment, she held a hand to his face, saying 'You don't have to cry. We will meet again,'" I said, not even I spoke out loud. Lumina nodded. "Like someone would believe that, right? But Yeul was a seeress who could see the future. Now, Noel knew that. So, when she told him they would be reunited, what else could he do? He had to believe her. And so, he's been waiting ever since. The poor, sad fool. Centuries and centuries of waiting, all on his own," she explained. Lighting looked at the floor, realizing the scope of what Noel had suffered. "How could I have missed that? All this time, the only thing keeping him going are his memories of Yeul," she said. "Oh no, not his memories. The promise of a future gave him hope," Lumina corrected.

I looked at her. "What do you mean?" I asked. She pointed farther into the Den of Shadows. "There's another Oracle Drive up ahead. When you see it's prophecy, you'll understand," she said. She began to walk behind us, adding "You'll see why... he wants you both dead." I turned around to face her, but she was already enveloped in light as she teleported away. I looked at Light, and we both nodded. We started forward, following the trail Noel left across the top of rooftops. When we did we received a message on ours comms. "_Light, Deiru! Finally I got ahold of you. What happened in the plaza?_" he asked. "Nothing fantastic. We stopped the Children of Etro from mobilizing, and Uried fled when he saw that it was going sour. Now, we're chasing after Noel," I explained.

"_I see. Don't be too hasty though. If the two of you die, the world ends with you_," he reminded us. "We know," Lightning replied. "_What don't understand is why he seems so determined to fulfill the prophecy. What does he stand to gain from it?_" Hope thought aloud. "Maybe he saw something else. Something would make him want to fulfill it," Lighting suggested. "_It could be. Noel risked his life to save the future, and instead Chaos was unleashed on the world. Maybe whatever is in that prophecy gave him cause for hope_," Hope said. "'The promise of a future gave him hope'..." I said, repeating what Lumina told us. "We have to see that prophecy," I said. Lightning nodded and the two of leaped from the last building. We both landed on our feet, knees bent to absorb the impact, and saw Noel sitting on the ground right in front of us.

His back was turned though, and he was looking at an Oracle Drive on its stand. "Noel..." I began, but then the device activated. It showed the same images of the first one- Lightning trying to destroy the world, Noel facing off against the two of us, and then Noel combing his sword into a javelin and throwing it at Lightning. "So this is the prophesied future. By killing the savior, a brand new world will be born," Lightning said. Then a new series of images appeared- Lighting on the ground, dead while Noel stabbed his sword into my chest. And then there was... Yeul, standing in a field of flowers. And Noel was there as well, the two of them embracing as they were reunited. "Yeul... So that's it," I said. The recording ended, and we both walked forward. "All this time, you've been dreaming of a new world where you're reunited with Yeul," Lightning said.

"It's no dream, Lightning. The future is right there in the Oracle Drive. If I kill the savior and her protector, then the world will be reborn. And this, it's going to happen like it's supposed to. It's going work. I failed once before, long ago, but you know that story. I defeated a friend because I believed that would save everyone," he said. "I know. I was there," I told him. Noel nodded. "But then everything went wrong. Yes, we won the fight, like we were supposed... and then he died. But that just unleashed the Chaos that's tearing this world apart. So yeah, I destroyed the world. It's a hell of thing," he said. "Noel, it wasn't just you. I helped defeat Caius- I'm just as guilty as you," I said, hanging my head at that last part. Noel chuckled humorlessly. "You sound just like Snow did. He never blamed or judged me either."

"And Hope tried to lead humanity in the fight against the Chaos. Of course, I fought alongside them both. Dammit, but we were fools back then. We might as well have spat in the wind for all the good it did. I'd already signed the world's death warrant. Five short centuries, that's all we had. And now even that's gone," he said. "Noel, it wasn't your fault. It never was. If anyone's to blame, it's me," Lightning said. "Me as well. I knew that this would occur and tried to stop it, but failed," I told him. "...Maybe you're right, but you know what? I don't think it even matters anymore. I'm only interested in creating a new future. That prophecy is the key to my dream- my dream of seeing Yeul again. I'm going to make it happen," he sated firmly. He began to stand, saying "it's nothing personal, Lightning, Deiru. I wish... I really wish the prophecy didn't show the two of you dying."

He turned to look at us. "But it does, and I'm sorry, but I'm going to make it happen. Five hundred years ago, I committed the ultimate sin. One more death on my conscience won't do anything to me," he said. He drew both of his swords, and charged. Lightning drew her Scramasax and I held up Death Herald, my ax, and we both blocked him. Lightning glared at him. "That all you got?" she asked, before shoving. He was sent back and and we both charged. I swung at him and he jumped over it, but then Lightning attacked while he was in midair, and I was only by casting Aero and propelling himself back that he avoided it. He landed and huffed. "Damn. That god of yours gave you some serious power," he commented. "I'd call it a mixed blessing. I'm more powerful than I ever was- but it came with a price. I'm not even sure I'm human anymore," Lightning said.

I moved into a fighting stance and my golden eyes gleamed. "I know I'm at least somewhere in the middle, considering I have what's left of Etro's soul within me," I said. Noel looked up at us. "Not even human? What are you, Lightning, Deiru?" he asked. I grinned, allowing Etro and I to speak as one. "I've become the Vessel of the Goddess," I said in both voices. "As for me, I wish I knew. I've taken a lot of lives, more than I could count. If I had any humanity left, it would have been crushed by the guilt by now," Lighting said. She started working forward. "But do I look crushed to you? I'm going to see Serah again. I'm going to do whatever it takes, give whatever it takes. Even if its my humanity. But you're not like me, Noel. I know you're different. Even if it's for the future, even if it's to see Yeul again... You don't have it in you to kill me," she told him.

He looked up at her, enraged, and I was looking at Lighting in surprise. The way she was talking, it was as if she really wasn't human. "You're still human. You killed a friend once to save the world, and you can't do it again. Right? You know it's true. I can see it in your eyes," she said. "You think you're safe from me? Sure about that?" Noel challenged. "No," she answered bluntly. Then she continued "But the clock is ticking on this world... and I've got things to do before time runs out." "Same here," I said, walking up next to her. "I'm not entirely positive what I am either, whether being Etro's vessel makes me human, mortal, god or something in middle of all. But I know my task is to be Lightning's Protector. And that means I will fight _anyone_ that tried to harm her," I declared. Lightning nodded. "You don't want to get in our way, Noel. You might still have scruples, but we don't. Not anymore," she said.

Noel was shocked that he paused for a moment, before shaking his head. "Dammit, Lightning, Deiru! Is this all you are now?!" he demanded. "That's right. To save Serah, I'll throw everything else away. I'll even be God's little pawn. No one going to stop me from trying, not even you. You want to find Yeul? Then find her in death!" Lightning said, swinging down at him. He blocked and I came in from the side, and he was forced to jump back. He glared at me. "What about you. Deiru? Are and her on the same page?" he asked. I nodded. "Right now to last letter. While I'm not going to be anyone's pawn, I will protect Lighting with my last breath. You may have been my friend before the Chaos took over, but if fulfilling my duty means ending that friendship, then so be it," I declared. I was surprised at myself; I didn't think I had it in me to say that.

But then I shook my head. I could worry about my new sense of ruthlessness later. Right now, I had to focus on Noel. He grunted and stood straight. "That goes double for me. I will find Yeul. Count on it. But we'll both be alive, in a new future... in a new world that I'm going to make happen with my own two hands! Even if it means destroying you!" he yelled, moving into a fighting stance and charging. He came at both of us and used Blitz, and although we blocked him he followed it up with using Aerora at me and Imperil Strike at Lightning. The force of the wind from the spell pushed me back, and Lightning ducked underneath the blow, casting Thunder. A small bolt of Lightning shot forward and Noel grunted, blocking with his larger sword and moving back.

I pursued him and cast Blizzard, but he saw the block coming and rolled out to avoid it. Lighting came up and swung at him, and sparks flew when their blades met. I ran up and swung down with my ax, and Noel disengaged with Lightning to dodge. The blade buried itself in the ground and I pulled it back out with a grunt, changing back to my Equilibrium garb and running with Omnes in hand. Noel attacked us both with Blitz and then cast use Daze Strike, swinging at me. I blocked it but the energy of the attack still went through, causing my head to spin. I was unable to focus and left myself open, and Noel took the chance to use Launch and send me into the air. Before he could jump and attack me Lightning changed into her outfit Red Mage garb and came in with another Thunder spell, hitting him in the side.

He gritted his teeth and swung at her, but she blocked with Liberator and countered, casting Buster Ruin. Two slow-moving Ruin spells flew forward, and although they were moving slowly Noel was close enough that they hit him in the chest anyway. I fell back towards the ground and flipped over, landing and rolling along the ground. I sprung to my feet and changed into one my new garbs, Utsusemi. I held a katana called Thirteen Nights and charged, casting Aero and Blizzard. Noel took only half damage from the Aero spell and dodged the Blizzard attack, but then Lightning came from behind and swung at him. He turned and blocked while also throwing his smaller sword at me, and I blocked it with my Kimanari shield. The blade went halfway through the shield though, and I pulled it our before tossing the shield away and throwing it back.

The blade flew end over end and Noel pushed Lightning away, catching it and cast a trio of Aero spells at me. I sidestepped the first two and held my ground against the last one, actually running through the wind and swinging at him. He blocked me but had to move away when Lightning shot yet another Thunder spell, and combined both of his swords into a javelin, which he threw at Light. She deflected the blade and it vanished reappearing in his hand just in time for him to block me with. I pushed against him with one hand while I held the other behind my back, casting Blizzard again. An ice bock appeared above Noel and I made sure he was focused on me... until it dropped onto his head. Noel shouted and fell back, slightly dazed. Lighting took the chance to change back in her Equilibrium garb and attack, slashing him on the chest.

He gritted his teeth and glared at us, calling "ATB Charge!" When he did that I could see him being bestowed with Vigilance, and he didn't move to attack us. Grinning, I charged and swung at him, scoring a good-sized cut on his arm while Lightning hit him right in the stomach with Thunder. He grunted but didn't stop, not until his attack was ready and he called "Take this! Meteor Javelin!" He jumped into the air and combined his swords into a javelin, throwing it at Lightning. She leaped back and it hit the ground, exploding. The javelin reappeared in hand and he threw it again, this time at me. I cast Aero and swung with Thirteen Nights, but the moment my sword made contact ti exploded again, sending me staggering back. Noel threw his javelin at me again, and hit me right in the center of the chest.

It exploded and I was sent flying, landing on my back. "Deiru!" Lighting called. I gritted my teeth and waved her away, changing back to my Dark Muse outfit and standing. Noel threw his javelin again but this time I swung and sent it back, causing him to twist in mid-air to avoid being hit by his own spell. Then he threw it one more time at Lightning, and she rolled out of the way. But then she used her Overclock ability and time froze, allowing Lightning to run forward and attack with a blistering flurry of moves. She slashed twice across the chest, three times on each leg, and then cast Buster Ruin twice more before dropping back down onto the ground. Noel screamed in pain, the wounds appearing once the spell was over, and the four non-elemental blasts, hitting him on a different part of his body.

He dropped to the ground and fell to one knee, panting. I raised my Death Herald and began to charge, but then Noel stood and glared at us. "This isn't going to end like this. Not by a long shot!" he called, before holding up his larger sword. The Chaos began swirling around him, and he called "Chimes of Darkness!" The Chaos enveloped him for a second, and I gasped as I could _feel_ his power increasing. When it faded Noel was dressed in his Battle Attire, and in his hand he was holding his ultimate weapon, In Paradisum. Then he stabbed both of his sword into the ground and placed his left hand on his chest opposite of where his heart was, and that a red and gold light burst from that spot. From that spot a stone in the shape of falling meteor appeared, and I gasped.

Noel heard that and smiled, calling "Time to bring back an old friend! Anubis!" He let go of the eidolith and it dropped towards the ground, sinking into it. A ring of fire appeared around him and Noel jumped back just as it erupted into a pillar of red, black and orange flames. Even from this distance I could feel the heat of the flames, and when it faded Noel's personal Eidolon was standing before us. It was about sixteen feet tall with jet-black skin, a canine head with glinting ivory fangs, pits of red for eyes and curved iron-gray claws. Its legs were vaguely canine as well and ended in paws, and it wore golden gauntlets and chest armor with blood-red glyphs. In its right hand was a giant curved scimitar. Anubis reared back its head and released a piercing howl, before glaring down at us.

Noel smirked, moving next to his Eidolon. "Well Anubis, it's time for you to do what you do best," he said, before pointing his sword at us. "Kill them!" he called. Anubis howled again before staring at us, and charging.

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The battle against Noel has begun, but now that Noel has summoned Anubis, can they defeat him?

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	11. Chapter 11: Light and Shadow

Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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**Notice:** Hey! Sorry it took me so long to update- now that the school years has started I've been getting swamped, especially in Aerospace Engineering. But I've managed to post again, and I hope you enjoy!

Rsdk525: You are right, but exactly what shall be occurring is still a mystery.

Guest: Yeah, sorry about that. But I have been working hard, and here is the fruit of my labors.

Devil-l'Cie: Well, you're about to find out.

SolidSamuari223: I thank you for the kind words, and hope you enjoy this chapter.

Gry18: No, I don't have a deviantart account, but I can still go with your idea concerning Etro.

And now, let us begin!

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Ch.11 Light and Shadow

Anubis roared and charged at us, its eyes two bottomless pools of pure malice. I grunted and held up Omnes just as the Eidolon swung his scimitar down, the two blades clashing with a shower of sparks. A couple of them landed on my face and I winced from the pain, trying to push the beast away. That was when I noticed that Anubis had only swung with one hand, and cast a Firaga spell from the other. I jumped back and barely avoided the explosion, while behind us Lightning charged at Noel again. He blocked her and she countered, jumping into the air and swinging vertically. He rolled to the side and came up for an attempt at Slow Strike, but she blocked and cast Buster Ruin. While one spell connected the other missed, and Noel cast Aerora. A blast of wind flew forth and she slid back across the ground from the force of it.

Other than that though, she was unharmed and countered with Thundara. Noel didn't manage to dodge the spell and was hit by a trio of lightning bolts, causing him to shout in pain. He glared at her while casting Blessings of Shadows on himself, bestowing Haste, Shell, and Enaero. With his increased speed he charged at Lightning, who just barely managed to block. He swung again and again from both sides, and Lightning changed into her Equilibrium and blocked with her shield. Meanwhile, Anubis combined Firaga and Aeroga into a flaming cyclone, which it sent after me. I dodged to the side but Anubis manipulated the winds to chase after me. I frowned and cast Waterga, quenching the flames. But even without them the wind was still coming at me, and hit me with the force of a football tackle.

I bent forward at a ninety-degree angle, and Anubis took that moment to cast Quake. Pillars of earth erupted all around me and Lighting, and one of them shot right up and hit me, sending me skyward. I shouted, and Anubis swung at me while I was airborne I blocked him but he pushed, causing me to slam against the ground. I groaned but had no time to rest, standing back and dodging another swing from Anubis. The beast threw three Fira spells at me, and I cast Waterga again. The flames were put out and Anubis sprang forward, its mouth wide open as it prepared to bite me in half. But then I smiled and cast Blizzara, sending the chunk of ice right down its throat. It's eyes widened and it yipped, trying to swallow and having a hard time of it. While it was distracted I ran up and used Energy Arc, sending out three waves of energy at the Eidolon.

It blocked one but the other two hit it on the chest, tearing through the beast's armor. Anubis managed to swallow the Blizzara spell and roared in rage, while Noel used Gale Fang on Lightning. He blocked him and swung at his leg, creating a small cut just below his knee. He gritted his teeth and umped back, using Javelin and throwing his weapon. Lighting didn't try to block and actually _caught_ the javelin, flipping it around and throwing it back. Not expecting that, Noel tried to dodge but with hit right in the stomach, sending him flying until he hit a wall. The force of the impact was such that it left a Noel-shaped dent, and he pulled himself out. "You know, I always knew you were strong, Light. But now I'm seeing just how much," he said. Lightning smirked and changed into her Dark Muse garb, smiling. "You haven't seen anything yet," she said, before charging.

He moved to block her but Lightning suddenly held Salvation high, calling "Overclock!" A pulse of energy spread outwards, slowing time itself to a crawl. Noel's eyes widened and he tried to move, but it was like he was moving through syrup. Anubis was likewise affected, and I took the chance to move past its guard. While it opened its mouth to roar I slashed it twice across the chest where the Energy Arcs tore into it. Then I cast Thundaga and blasted it with bolts of electricity, and ended it with a downwards strike that so powerful it shattered the scimitar. Lightning had given Noel a cut on each leg and arm and two on his stomach, making an X. Finally she yanked his smaller sword from his hand and stabbed it into the middle of the X. The Overclock finally ended and Noel screamed in pain, while Anubis roared.

Both of them fell back and Noel looked at his Eidolon. "I think it's time we joined together!" he said. Anubis nodded and jumped into the air, shining with a golden light. It bones and muscles reshape and moved until its hands became paws, all four of its limbs were canine, and Anubis's armor changed to take the shape of a seat. It landed back down and Anubis roared, now in full Gestalt Mode. Noel smirked and jumped into the seat, holding his two swords. "Let's go!" he called. Anubis nodded and charged at us, swinging around a long tail it had sprouted. I jumped over the tail, as did Lightning. But then Noel cast Firaga from atop Anubis, and Lighting was hit with the blast. "Light!" I called, but she waved me away and cast Curaga on herself. I turned back to Anubis and saw the beast shoot forward faster than I could dodged. It grabbed me with its tail and leaped high into the air.

Anubis flipped over and threw me, causing me to slam against the ground hard enough for several ribs to break. Flashes of color danced over my vision and I just barely managed to stand. It was then that Anubis opened its mouth wide and unleashed a massive fireball. I just barely dodged and cast Salvation on myself, healing the ribs. But I fell to one knee from the energy cost, and both Noel and Anubis landed on the ground. "Just give up. No matter the cost, I'll defeat both of you and save the world!" Noel said, holding his swords high. I glared at him and said "Really? Just try it." He smirked and said "You asked for it. Anubis! Volcanic Pounce!" Anubis roared before turning to the side, running around us. Around us pillars of actual lava began erupted, and the ground beneath us began cracking with red fissures.

Anubis leaped high above us and Noel jumped off of him, combining his swords into a javelin for. Lightning and I both activated Steelguard at the same time, and when Anubis and the javelin hit the round it erupted in an explosion of earth, molten rocks and burning fire. I gritted my teeth and yelled from the pain, while beside me Lighting merely groaned. Once the blast finally faded Anubis was gone, having used the last of its energy in that attack. Noel was still there though, and buffed himself with Blessing of Shadows before charging. I struggled to block him, nearly cut down. "_Etro, I need your help_," I said. To my shock the goddess mentally shook her head. "_I can't. Unless you gave me complete control of your body, then I have to recover from each time I've emerged. I haven't regained that energy yet_," she said sadly.

I cursed and moved away from Noel, who switched to attack Lightning. She blocked him and cast Fire, and Noel knocked the spell away before stabbing her in the same spot on the stomach that she had stabbed him. Lighting gasped, and I froze, looking over almost in slow motion. She fell back and I called "LIGHT!" I ran to her but she managed to stand, picking up her sword from where she dropped it and swinging. Noel moved away, avoiding the attack and knocking her blade out of her hands. He pointed his larger sword at her. I raised Omnes and swung at him, but he jumped back before casting Aeroga at me. He aimed the spell to hit the dirt before coming at me, creating a cloud of dust that blinded me. I held up my sword but then it was kicked out of my hand, the dust fading as Noel's larger sword rested against my throat.

Noel stared at me and I stared back, unflinching. "So, this is how it ends, huh?" I asked. Noel nodded. "Exactly. I'm sorry Deiru; I really wish it didn't have to be this way. But it does, so it will," he said. I looked into his eyes and saw that he was believed himself to be true. He pulled his sword back while keeping his smaller one pointed at me. Despite knowing I was looking death in the eye, I still smiled. "Noel, when will you ever learn?" I asked. He frowned. "Learn what?" he asked. I chuckled. "That just because one enemy is down… doesn't mean you've won," I said. Noel's eyes widened, but at that very moment Lighting appeared behind him in her Red mage garb, and stabbed Salvation through his chest. Noel screamed in pain and dropped his sword, looking behind his shoulder.

Lighting pulled her sword out and stepped in front of him, while he fell to one knee. "Your dream is over, Noel. Let it go. The Hunter has failed to kill the savior," she said. He shook his head stubbornly, and sighed. "That prophecy will never come true. It's all over now," I said. He glared at us, his rage allowing him to ignore the pain of his wound. "Yu think I'll give up that easily, huh savior? I'm not done yet. I am going to kill you," he declared. Lightning snorted. "Sure. Do your worst. Yeul I still waiting for you," she said. Hearing that Noel found the strength to stand. "That's right. I'll do it for Yeul's sake. Even if it means having your blood on my hands. I know that if she were here, she'd try to stop to stop me. She's going to be disappointed as hell in me, at least for a while. But she'll get over it. And I need this future," he said. Then he looked at us, and called "It will be done!"

He charged and actually threw his larger sword at me. I blocked it and fell back, and Noel swung at Lightning with just his smaller blade. He swung and she blocked, but Noel shoved his all his strength and sent her skidding back. Then he leaped into the air and charged his blade with every last ounce of energy, throwing it. My eyes widened; I wouldn't be able to stop it in time. Lighting wouldn't be able to either- that blade was going to hit. It sailed through the air, humming with power, and flew right at Lightning… piercing the Oracle Drive behind her. I gasped, and watched as Noel landed on the ground, dropping back to one knee. Lightning regarded him just as impassively as before, and walked back to pull his sword out of the ruined device. "Why didn't you do it?" she asked.

Noel panted, casting a healing spell on the hole in his chest and managing to heal it… somewhat. "Because Yeul… She wouldn't… This isn't what she would want," he told us. I blinked. That's why. Noel managed to stand and looked at the sky, thinking. "She had the power to see the future. Ever terrible vision she saw, one after another, whittled away her life away. She must have known, all along, when she would die. And how she would die. But even so, she didn't give up hope. She didn't stop trying to make things better, for all of us. She didn't stop smiling. Yet what did I do? I saw one prophecy, and let it control me. I didn't try to fix anything, just tried to kill the two of you to make it true! I can't do it. I wouldn't be able to look her in the eye if I did," he said. I looked at him, shocked. "But… you destroyed the machine," I said.

He turned around, and looked at the ruined Oracle Drive. There was no anger in his eyes, no pain. Only a deep, endless sadness. "Maybe the prophecy was my last chance to see Yeul, but maybe it's better this way. Maybe it's better to never see her again than make more mistakes, he said, a single tear falling down his cheek. I looked at him, trying to think of something, anything to say. But just then the Oracle Drive began flickering, and we all looked at it. I could hear what sounded like a sigh come from within. A girl's sigh. Noel's eyes widened. "Did you hear that?" he asked. Lightning and I nodded, and he ran in front of the Oracle Drive. It began shining with a bright white light, and that light coalesced into the form of a hand. That hand grabbed Noel's and the rest of the resolved… into the shape of Yeul.

Noel's breath caught, and Yeul smiled down at him as she hovered in the air. "Noel, you did the right thing. Your soul will come to me. We'll meet again. Sooner than you think, I promise," she said. Noel stared at her, and she as quickly as she arrived Yeul vanished, fading away. At that same time, a light began to shine around Noel. One we knew all too well. Unseen by him, Noel's very soul rose out of his boy and hovered for a second, before floating towards Lighting and entering her chest. Noel Kriess, the Shadow Hunter, had been saved. Noel looked back at us, even the sadness gone from his eyes. "I'd say sorry, but I did try to kill you, both of you. I don't think a simple apology is going to cut it," he said. Lighting stepped forward, her gaze also not as hard. "Even if I forced you into it?" she asked.

He looked up, and she continued "You've had five long centuries to brood and what happened. Then we come along and force you into a corner." I stepped forward as well, and he looked at me. "Maybe… we're the one should by be saying 'sorry'. But what Yeul said was right. You belong in the future, and we can take you there. A deserve to be able to start a new, in a new world," I said. Noel looked at us. "A new world. So is your god building us a paradise?" he asked. I paused and looked at Lightning, who held out his smaller sword. "Not exactly. It's just an ordinary place, with ordinary people, working hard to make it together to make it as good as can be," she said. Noel smiled at that, a true smile, and grabbed his blade. "Doesn't sound like the Shadow Hunter would be welcome there," he pointed out. He took his blade and walked away, picking up his larger one.

But then he turned back to us, and said "Hey. But if I'm gonna get a second lease on life, maybe it's time I stopped living in the shadows. Right, Lightning, Deiru?" Without waiting for an answer he turned back around, putting his swords on his back and walking away. I remember something, and called "Hey, Noel!" "Yeah?" he asked. I smiled. "You know, Etro never blamed you for her death," I said, my golden eye gleaming. Realization set in, and he smiled. "Good to know. See ya," he said, and leaped onto the top of a building, leaving. I smiled and Lightning did the same, both of us happy. All that suffering, all that pain just be given release… we could now see what being the savior and her protector could do.

At that moment Hope came back on the comms. "_Er, Light? How did you know he was going to do that? I thought for sure he was going to kill you. Did you sense something?_" he asked. She shook her head. "I didn't know. I took a gamble on him, and hoped he'd come up with the right answer. Lucky for us, he did," she said. I smirked, and looked at the sky. There had been five large Chaos fluctuations, according to Hope. Noel was one, so that meant there were four left. I looked at Lightning, and I could see she was thinking the same thing as me. Now that Luxerion was finished, we had to move on to Yusnaan. It was high time we met up with Snow.

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The main Luxerion quest has been finished, and Noel has been saved! But can Lighting and Deiru do the same with Snow?

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding… or am I?)


	12. Chapter 12: The Tour Guide

Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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**Notice:** Once again, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. My classes are unrelenting in the amount of work they're piling on me (damn Honors English and AP US History), and that's been keeping me from writing. But I've managed to get some time in, and now you may enjoy the fruits of my efforts!

Gundam-Knight-Chris: Thanks for the kind words, and I hope so too.

Devil-l'Cie: Glad to hear it, and I hope this meets your standards.

SolidSamurai223: Well, here it is. Enjoy.

StorSpeaker: Right you are.

Soul Reaper 2263: The presence of Deiru will cause some changes, yes. And I'm glad that you reviewed.

Gry18: Rest assured, she will. And as for idea, I enjoy it, and might just implement it.

Rsdk525: There will be dark before dawn, that's all I can say.

And Guest: Sorry about that. Hopes this makes up for it.

And now, here we go!

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Ch.12 The Tour Guide

Once Lighting and I were finished in Luxerion we took the train to Yusnaan. As we arrived we saw that even at 2 in the morning it was still as loud and boisterous as ever. It was in this place that we were to find Snow, and do our best to save his soul as well. As if to prove our earlier point, the moment Lightning and I stepped out of the station we saw a pair of tourists in front of us. One of them, a flighty young woman in purple, said "I've come to see the Patron's Palace! Just looking at it is sure to make me feel richer myself. It's the most extravagant building in the world!" The other tourist, a young man with a pained expression, replied "The palace is in the Augur's Quarter, right? I've heard that there are parts of Yusnaan that only the rich can get into. Not people like us, unfortunately."

The young woman waved away his concerns, saying "It's a palace. They ought to at least let us _look_ at it for free, right? Come on, let's go!" "A-Alright! Let's go to the Augur's Quarter!" the man said, following her. I raised an eyebrow. "Hope, are to elaborate?" I asked. "_The Augur's Quarter's is the exclusive playground of the rich. Commoners aren't welcome- which includes the two of you. Although people say it's possible to sneak in, Apparently there some sort of back door. I think it's worth looking into_," he explained. "I agree," Lightning said. I nodded and snapped my fingers, conjuring a pair of trench coats for us like before. Keeping the hoods on we chased after the pair of tourists, following them through the Glutton's Quarter and the Reveler's Quarter. This time we tried to not gain the guard's attention, and stuck to the shadows.

The farther we went into the city, the more I began being able to see the city's giant statue of Bhunivelze over the tops of buildings. Rounding one more corner, we stopped when we saw a set of steps leading to a giant metal gate. The gate itself was such and a guard was posted on either side, but on the other side I could see the statue and Snow's Palace. The Augur's Quarter. The same woman from before was standing in front of one of the guards. "Come on! Can't you at least let us in to look?" she pleaded. "You can look from here," the guard told her. "But we're having the view ruined by the gate. Please?" the woman asked, sticking out her bottom lip. She actually pulled off the look rather well, but the guard was still unaffected. "I'm sorry, but unless you have an ID I can't let you in," he said curtly.

The woman grimaced and walked away, mumbling heatedly. I let her pass and raised an eyebrow. "ID?" I repeated. "What, you don't know?" we heard a voice next to us say. We both spun and saw another tourist, this one with tanned skin and a ponytail. "Know about what?" Lightning asked sharply. "If you don't have an ID, you're never getting into the Augur's Quarter. If you really want to see one of the shows there, you don't have much choice but the Tour Guide," he explained. I raised an eyebrow, both of us asking "Tour Guide?" "The Tour Guide sneaks groups of people through the back route to see the show in the Augur's Quarter. Trust me, he's not hard to find. In fact, he's pretty easy to spot," he said. We nodded our thanks and left as well. "So, Deiru, Hope, are you thinking what I am?" Lightning asked.

"_Yes, I believe so. The gate to the Augur's Quarter is locked, and that's barring you from the palace. Without proper ID, it'll be impossible to get through. But maybe this Tour Guide can get us in_," Hope said. I nodded in agreement. "The Tour Guide bring people in to see some sort of show. What did he mean?" I asked, trying to gather intel. "_Every night, there's a play put on in the Augur's Quarter to honor God: The Song of the Savior. That play is the reason why most tourists want in. But those without proper IDs can still manage to watch it... from a pretty lofty perch,_" Hope said. I frowned at that, before a shadow passed overhead and I looked up to see the monorail. It neared the Augur's Quarter and disappeared around a set of buildings. Quickly putting two and two together, I said "Let me guess. The ones sneaking in do so along the track for the supply train, huh?" I asked.

"That's the way it seems. We've found our 'back door'. The only problem now is getting past those crooks who'll probably be running the tours," Lightning said. I shrugged at that. Personally, I had no problem fighting through a few crooks to get to where e needed to be. The problem was that in this case, it would cause more problems than solve. "Right. Let's see of we can avoid that by finding this Tour Guide, huh?" I suggested. Lightning nodded, and we left. Despite what the tourist had said, we saw no one out of the ordinary in the area around or near the Augur's Quarter. There were only couples in the Reveler's Quarter, and we had already been through the Glutton's Quarter. I sighed. Maybe we needed to ask that guy how he had define the term "easy to spot".

Before I could voice those thoughts we heard a set of screams, and turned to see a group of people running past us. Why? Behind them was a Gurangatch, which was slowly crawling forward and hissing. Quickly Lightning and I drew out blades, and charged. The Gurangatch tried to use Poisonous Breath on us, but we split to the side. I changed into my Utsusemi garb and cast Blizzard, while Lightning remained in her Red Mage outfit and cast Buster Ruin. The reptile growled and pulled its head back into its shell, which was barely affected by the double hit. But when I cast Blizzard I fired a blast of frost at the beast, and the frost stuck to a patch of its carapace. It roared and turned to me, using Boulder Tackle and slamming into my chest. I fell back and dropped my katana, which the beast was quick to pick up... and snap with its teeth.

I stared, shocked at the loss of my weapon, before my shock turned to rage. "Okay, that's it! Now you die!" I said. Sensing my anger, Etro appeared within my consciousness, saying "_Deiru, allow me to give you my power. I have something for you._" I didn't hesitate and nodded, and I could feel Etro's power flooding through me even more than usual. My hands glowed and the Eye of Etro appeared on my palms. Without waiting I charged, calling "Light! Keep the thing occupied!" She nodded and ran forward, activating Overclock and swinging at sub-sonic speed. Meanwhile, I channeled the goddess's power into marks on my palms and they glowed brighter, before I changed into my Equilibrium garb. Because my katana wasn't with me Omnes failed to appear, but that wasn't what I needed. I crossed my arms over my chest and the crest of my chest glowed as well. Once I had enough power I called "Divine Strength!"

I shot forward and swung a punch infused with raw power at the Gurangatch. The force of the punch was such that it broke through the beast's carapace, creating a hole. The monster roared in pain, but then it grabbed either side of the hole and pulled, ripping the gap even wider. The Gurangatch spun in a circle and forced me to let go, but then I grabbed its tail and turned around, actually swinging it over my shoulder and slamming it against the ground. I relished in the feeling of this ability, but I could feel it coming to an end. Determined to make it count, I poured the last amount of my power into my right hand. Running up, I grabbed the Gurangatch again and pivoted around, spinning in pace like a top. I kept building up more and more momentum, until finally I stopped and tossed the Gurangatch skyward.

It flew into the sky and I watched it shrink to the size of a dot before it came down... down... down... CRASH. The monster landed on the ground hard enough to create a small crater and a cloud of dust. Lighting looked over at me. "A new ability?" she asked. I nodded. Etro explained it to me, and I said aloud "Divine Fury. It channels all of Etro's energy and converts it to physical strength, giving me massive amounts of physical power... for a short time. But the amount of time the power active is even shorter than that of your Overclock, and after that I have to wait about ten seconds for my body from that much power." With that I fell to one knee, proving that last sentence. As if that wasn't enough, I heard a weak hiss, and looked to see the dust clear and the Gurangatch weakly climb out of the hole, its carapace in shambles.

Lighting simply smirked and walked forward, raising Salvation before easily beheading it. The corpse of the monster twitched before fading away, and Lightning cast a Water spell to clean her blade of blood. I picked up the shatter remains of my katana and channeled my power. The pieces slowly hovered and reassembled and repaired itself, white lines shining wherever the connections were made. Once the process was complete I dismissed the blade, and looked around. Now that the monster was gone the people were resuming their previous activities, although a few thanked us and handed us handfuls of gil. While Lightning and I thanked them we were also looking around. Even now there was no sign of anyone unusual. How were we going to find this Tour Guide now?

Just then we heard a honk, the beat of a drum and the clash of cymbals, all in rapid succession behind us. Lightning and I turned around, and saw a man wearing all three instruments walk forward. Not only that, but he was wearing a pink outfit, pink glasses, and a pink party-cone with purple stars. To make this character even more unique, he had blonde hair and a gray-and-green banner tied to his back. Every step he took caused one of his instruments to sound, creating as much noise around him as possible. My jaw unhinged and I stared. Really? While I was gawking Lightning stepped forward. Not one to mince her words, she asked "Hey, are you the Tour Guide?" The guy looked at her and smiled, saying "Hail there, my stylish lady? You're just dying to see the show, aren't you? You can try to hide it, but I know what a woman wants!"

At that last part I felt a flare of jealousy, but managed to contain myself. Meanwhile, Lightning said "Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, my partner and I don't have Ids to get into the theater." The Tour Guide raised en eyebrow before noticing me, and then he adopted a huge grin. "Ohh, I get it now! You both want me to get you in for a date, huh?" he asked. I blinked for a second, as did Lightning, before we both blushed a bright crimson. "I-It's not like that!" I protested. "It's not!" Lightning added. The Tour Guide laughed aloud, amused. "No worries! I can get you both in with a special ticket... for a special price," he told us. I raised en eyebrow. "A ticket, huh?" I said. "Exactly! For the two of you, I can give you the Sneaking-In Special, with a couple's discount!" the Tour Guide said.

I glared at him. "We are not on a date!" I repeated. Either the guy didn't believe me or just plain ignored me, because he turned back to Lightning. "Either way, here's how the Special works. I help the poor visitors of our fair city- people who don't have the requisite IDs- to see our most famous sight: the show in our illustrious theater! And I'm the only option they've got," he explained. "So we buy tickets, and you get us in to see the show? And I've got nothing to go on but you're word?" Lightning asked. "My word is good- but I can't make any guarantees! I mean, who knows if you'll make it back alive. That depends on Lady Luck. So put your trust in Fortuna and your money in my pocket!" the Tour Guide said. I rolled my eyes. "Fine, but how about a few more details?" I asked.

"I knew you were both up for it! Alright, let me explain to you the brilliance of my little tour, shall I? It starts next to the monorail track. You know, the one that carries supplies from the industrial area. Up on that track, you'll find some of the best views in the city. If you know where to look, that is. I can take up on the track from the industrial area, and get you all nice and comfy- a perch with a view. You'll be able to see the Augur's Quarter and the theater," the Tour Guide said. "Sounds easy enough. So where does Lady Luck come into it?" Lightning asked. "Well, the tour's not without danger. The Chaos Infusions have been hitting the industrial area real hard these days. You two might have to fight more than just desperate tourists on your way to the best seats. I can't guarantee your safe arrival or return. All I can guarantee is, I'm your only way in," the man explained.

But then the Tour Guide smirked. "Not that it looks like you have plans of actually sitting down and watching a thing, my lady," he added. I glared at him. "And what might that mean?' I said, putting as much hostility as possible into my tone. "Nothing! None of my business to say where you two might by going- or who you might be going after. I'm sure that savior and her protector play their cards close to their chest," the Tour Guide said. At that my eyes narrowed and my golden one glowed. So this guy knew. "Gee, was it the posters that tipped you off?" Lightning asked. He nodded, saying "I could sell you out to the palace guard, you know. Make a pretty profit. I guess you'll just have to depend on your luck to see that I don't do that, hmm?" Without even thinking I shot forward, summoning Omnes and slamming the Tour Guide against the wall.

He shouted, but before he could do anything else I held my blade against his throat. Both of my eyes were glowing now, my instincts as Protector in full control. "Let me ask this: Which do you think is more important? Your money, or your head?" I asked. The man's eyes widened, and I leaned closer. "Because if you sell us out, it won't be the money that you lose," I whispered. The Tour Guide looked like he was about to struggle and I was going to stop him, when suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked back to see Lightning looking at me tenderly. "Deiru, it's alright," she said. I looked at her before slowly nodding. I let go of the Tour Guide and stepped back, dismissing Omnes and crossing my arms. The man rubbed his neck where my sword had been, and said "Well now, don't you feel like coughing up and buying a ticket to my tour? I'll even give you a special price of 2000 gil apiece- just for you."

Lightning and I rolled our eyes, but pulled out the necessary gil all the same. Once it was in the Tour Guide's he pulled out a pair of tickets and handed them to us, which we pocketed ourselves. "If you want to betray me to the authorities, go ahead. But watch your back if you do," Lightning warned. "Ohh, look out for the big bad savior!" the Tour Guide said. I cleared my throat and glared at him. The message was clear: Even if Lightning didn't beat the crap out of him, there was still me. A light sweat broke out over his forehead, and he looked back at Lightning. "A-Anyway, time's on the ticket! Be there in the industrial area by then, or you'll miss your chance for the show. One of my helpers will be in front of the gate to the industrial area. Give them these tickets, and they'll take real good care of you. Just go past Central Avenue, and the across the sands in the Lower City. We leave on the dot, so don't dawdle, or you'll have to wait for the next tour," he said.

We both nodded and left, looking at our tickets. It was 4 AM now, and the tickets said to be at the gate a 6 PM. At that I groaned- that was fourteen hours from now. What the heck were we supposed to do until then?!

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The Yusnaan quest has begun, and Lightning and Deiru have secured tickets to the Sneaking-In Special! But what will they do once it starts, and how will things develop?

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	13. Chapter 13: Luxerion's Saint

Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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**Notice:** Well, you pretty know what I'm going to say. Lots of schools work, big delays, ya-da ya-da (I never thought junior year would be so hard). But I've posted now, and I hope you enjoy what I've managed to write. And so, I shall reply to my reviews and then give the next chapter to you!

Rsdk525: Well, you're half-right. This is a sidequest; it just so happens to be a very big one.

SolidSamurai223: I'm glad you enjoyed it, and yes. Soon things for that part will begin.

X-Ranger1: I am doing well; thanks for asking. And thank you for sticking with me all this time.

Gry18: I might end up doing that, but not this chapter.

And Guest: Yeah, sorry about that. But I have updated now, so I hope you enjoy the latest of my work.

And now, let the thirteenth chapter begin!

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Ch.13 Luxerion's Saint

I slashed through yet another Schrodinger while Lightning used Overclock to finish off a Gurangatch. The two of us wiped our weapons clean of blood and put them away, moving out. It had been the last half hour that we were running around Yusnaan, doing various quests for the citizens in hopes of saving a few more souls. We had just finished finding a set of sheet music for a man and his singing diva girlfriend, and now the girl had the music she needed to sing again. As we left we were assaulted by the two monsters we just killed, and disposed of them like clockwork. Once we had our weapons away the com link came back online, Hope speaking to us. "_Lightning, Deiru, there's something I just uncovered that you should know. From what I've found, there's a saint living in Luxerion's cathedral, who claims to know the savior and her protector_," he said.

I stopped at that and raised an eyebrow. "Someone who knows us? Who?" I asked. "_I don't know. But I definitely think it's worth looking into. The saint's guarded and unable to be seen during the day, but from 10 PM to 6 AM, it's possible to sneak into the cathedral_," Hope told us. I looked at Lightning, who was thinking the same thing. It was 4:30 now, which meant that we only had an hour and a half before we would both have to return to the ark and lose our chance at getting into the cathedral. "Well, then we'd better get moving," Lightning said. I nodded and we both activated one of the simplest and yet most useful abilities we had unlocked- Teleport. Both of us were enveloped in light before vanishing into the thin air, scaring a few of the Yusnaan tourists.

For a few seconds all was darkness, and Lightning and I could feel everything around us spin chaotically time and space being bent to our will as we were transported from one place to another. If I had to describe the feeling, it would be like standing in the middle of the world's largest toilet- everything around you swirling at high speed while also feeling like you were being sucked downwards, only it was just you that wasn't spinning. After a few minutes (or was it seconds?) the two of us reappear with a burst of energy in the Luxerion South Station, just off of the path and in a corner. Because of that no one shouted in surprise at our appearance. Both of us stumbled, temporarily drained from the teleportation process. What would have taken an hour to get to by train took only a minute by our means, and that took its tool.

After another minute Lighting managed to regain her sense of coordination and walked forward, and I did the same after a few more seconds. We moved through the streets quickly and quietly, making our way to the cathedral as quickly as possible. Once we came close its imposing size loomed over us. For just a regular cathedral, it was still huge. That bad part was that the main road to the entrance was blocked by a massive gate, with two guards watching it. I sighed; no going in through the front. Just then Lightning tapped on my shoulder, and I looked at her. She pointed and we saw a young woman with silver hair wearing the Order's robes looking around, wringing her hands worriedly. Without a word we approached, Lightning saying "You seem a bit troubled."

The young woman nodded. "Yes, it's true. I am. But I don't know that it's something I'd feel comfortable discussing with a stranger," she said. "Well then, let make some introductions. My name is Deiru, and this is Light. What's your name?" I said, extending a gloved hand. The woman blinked in surprise, before smiling. "My, you're a frank one, aren't you?" she said, before shaking my hand. "Aremiah. That's my name," she added. I nodded and pulled away, but noticed that when we shook hands Lightning had a strange look in her eyes. She looked annoyed, or even… upset? Before I could figure out what that look was, it was gone and Lightning's face was just as blank and businesslike as before. "Well, now that we've gotten to know each other, what is it that's troubling you?" she asked.

"Well, it's not that I've been sworn to silence or anything. Quite the opposite. I feel I've got to tell someone," Aremiah said. I raised an eyebrow, motion for her to go on. "Let me start from the beginning. In addition to being a member of the Order of Salvation, I am also one of the blessed few who have the task of looking after Lady Vanille," she said. At that both Lightning and I froze. "Did… you say Vanille?" Lighting asked. Within me I could feel Etro stir, saying "_Vanille? Is she not one the l'Cie you were with long ago?_" I nodded, replying "_Yes. She was._" Not noticing our reactions or my inner conversation, Aremiah said "Yes, our Lady Vanille. The one and only saint who has been gifted with the mysterious ability to hear the cried of the dead that are carried on the winds of Chaos." I stared at her. "Vanille is the saint?" I asked, hardly believing it. "Yes. Well, the fact is that the holy one is particularly attached to one particular belonging. A small stone that she always carries," she said.

"I'm guessing it's no regular piece of rock," Lightning commented. "You're right. It seems like something very special. It reflects the light with a rainbow iridescence. But several days ago, that very stone was stolen by some reprehensible thief! Ever since its disappearance, the poor saint has hardly said a word; she's completely withdrawn." I tried thinking it over. To become withdrawn over a simple stone… I had always remembered Vanille as someone who tried to stay positive, even if she had her inner guilt. Either this stone really id mean that much to her, or the passage of time had changed Vanille as well. While I was thinking about that, Lightning said "She can't find the thief?" "Find the thief!? The holy saint!? She can't leave the cathedral! It's completely out of question!" Aremiah said, aghast at the idea.

Lightning's eyes narrowed, as did mine. "I see. So you keep your precious saint locked up like some sort of criminal or animal," Light commented. Aremiah gasped. I noticed her eyes quickly look left and right, before she said "Y-You say too much. Well, th-the only the saint is kept within the cathedral if for her own safety and protection." "She can't be trusted with herself?" I asked. "Yes… that's exactly it!" she responded, oblivious. It took every ounce of my power as Protector to not roll my eyes at that, and Lightning spoke. "If what you say is true, and she never leaves the cathedral, then only other Order members could have gotten to her," she pointed out. Aremiah gasped. "You-You're suggesting that a member of the Order stole the saint's precious belonging? You could not be more wrong! It's impossible!" she protested.

At that I did roll my eyes. "Then someone else had to have gotten in. So, do you let others into the cathedral to see that saint?" I asked. The girl was silent for a second, thinking. "There… is an outfit which is allowed to enter to make their deliveries, but their staff always goes through a thorough inspection. They couldn't sneak out a pebble if they tried," she said. "There's an exception to every rule. Where do we find them?" Lightning asked. "I-I wish I could tell you, but I don't know. I think they work out of the warehouse district," Aremiah said. "The warehouse district, huh? I'm not sure if we'll find anything, but we can look," I said. Aremiah smiled. "Oh, you are far too kind! Just knowing that there are such generous souls searching will surely put the saint at ease!" she said.

* * *

After Lightning and I left Aremiah back at the cathedral, we made through the streets of Luxerion to the warehouse district. At this time of night the only monsters were a few Niblets and the odd Meonekton, which were easily dealt with. Once we reached the district we saw nothing out of the ordinary, save for a middle-aged man standing around with a series of boxes. We approached him, and Lightning asked "What's with the story with the box?" "Well, it was given to us by a customer, but they must have forgotten to address it!" the employee said. "Why don't you just give it back then?" I questioned. "Well, that's where things get a bit sticky, you see. One of our new lads handled the package. Said some bigwig in the cathedral gave it to him- asked if we could hold it for a while," he explained.

I raised an eyebrow and looked over at Lightning, who was looking at me. We were both thinking the same thing, and Lightning said "From the cathedral, huh? Let me guess- that 'bigwig' is tied to the saint somehow, aren't they?" The man gasped in shock. "How did you know that? Amazing! Yes, the new lad was delivering packages to the saint's quarters when he met this person. Never even got a name or anything," he said, before sighing. "We've really stuck our foot in it now. The Order is one of our biggest customers. We can't go back and admit we took a package from someone there without checking it," he stated. I smiled. "Well then, today's your lucky day. We're looking for something that was taken from the cathedral. We'd like to check the boxes. If it's there, we'll take it back ourselves. We'll take full responsibility," I told him.

The employee shrugged. "I'd love to let you take a look, but I haven't been able to get the things open. I think they're going to need to be smashed at this rate!" he said, thoroughly annoyed. My smile grew wider, and I reached behind me to pull of Omnes. "Move aside," I said, grinning like a madman. The man's eyes widened, and he said "Wait- what?! Hold on! Seriously? You're kidding, right?" "No, not really. Hyaa!" I yelled, swinging. The man shouted and ducked as I went past him, tearing through the boxes as if they were made of paper. Shards of wood were sent in every direction, while I cackled as it tore through them. After a few seconds all of the boxes were gone, my temporary bout of insanity going with it. In the middle of the rubble was something glowing, and when I picked it up it was a shard of shining crystal.

I turned around and showed it to Lightning, who said "That's it." The warehouse employee raised an eyebrow. "Looks like there's more to this than I know. If you don't mind, I'm just gonna look the other way one this one," he said, doing just that. Shrugging, I pocketed the crystal and put Omnes on my back, heading back to the cathedral with Lightning at my side. Aremiah was still there, and looked as we came close. "Oh, you're back! Did you make any progress in your search?" she asked. I smiled. "Well, you could say that," I said, before taking out the crystal and tossing it to her. She caught it, and gasped. "Oh! This rainbow sparkle, this sheen… Yes! This is it exactly! The saint will be thrilled to have this back, I'm sure!" she said, overjoyed. "I don't know how close you are to Vanille, but do you know why she cares so much about one particular stone?" Lighting asked.

"I-I do. The saint confided it in me, when it appeared the stone was lost forever. She told me that this stone, this very stone, was in her hand when she awoke from crystal stasis just moments before the Chaos first appeared in the world. She's kept it all these centuries. Not only that, but the stone is said to possess a special power. Every once in a rare while, it shows a glimpse of the precious family that is lost to her now. I can tell she cares about them with all her heart," Aremiah said. "Family? You mean Fang?" I asked. "Oh my. You know of Lady Fang? Yes, it possible for the saint to sometimes see a glimpse of Lady Fang in the facets of that stone," the girl told us. "I can see why the stone means so much to her. Tell Vanille we're glad she has it back, safe and sound," Lightning said.

To our surprise, Aremiah shook her head. "Oh, I couldn't possible give her that message. But you will have the chance to tell her yourselves," she said. I blinked. "Huh?" I said. She smiled. "The holy saint has expressed an interest in seeing the two of you. And so I was asked to give you this. Here," Aremiah said, pulling out a key and handing it to us. "A key?" I asked. "This is a copy of the key that unlocks the service entrance to the cathedral. The saint has no duties at this hour, and should be in her chambers. The gates are locked, but if you use that key…" she said, trailing off. "Then… we'll be able to see Vanille," Lightning finished. "Yes. Just thinking that I might get to see the saint smile again fills my heart with nothing but joy and happiness," Aremiah told us. Unbeknownst to her, the moment she made that statement her soul appeared and flew into Lightning's chest, unseen by all except for me and her.

We moved past Aremiah and looked at a clock. It had taken us half an hour to find the stone, meaning that is we 5 AM. We only had an hour to talk with Vanille before the day was over. Without further ado e moved a side door next to the main gate, and unlocked it with our newly gained key. The door swung pen with ease, and we went through. On the other side was the path leading to the cathedral, with two guards posted by the entrance. Seeing us having moved through the service entrance, they gave me and Light a curt nod as we entered the religious building. The cathedral was just as large inside as out, great vaulted ceilings above us made a green stone while gothic architecture surrounded us. Even though I had no affiliation for the Order of Salvation, I had to admit one thing- they knew how to design a church.

The way to the altar and praying area was made a single long path, which we walked along. The closer we came I began to make the details of a figure with red hair and wearing a pink outfit, and began smiling. Once we finally reached the altar, the figure turned around and gasped. It was indeed Vanille. "Lightning?! Deiru?!" she said, before running forward. Half a dozen guards all began moving, before they saw that we were no threat. Lightning cracked a smile, and said "Long time, no see, Vanille." "You look just as we remember you. Nice outfit, by the way," I said. In truth, Vanille's outfit was the same as it always had been. A pink halter top, orange-and-yellow skirt, and beige boots. Around the back of her skirt was a fur pelt of a bear, and she wore numerous bracelets, beads, silver hoops earrings and three necklaces.

One new addition was a headdress composed a semi-transparent red and gold veil, covering her hair and reaching her shoulders while keeping her face shown. Gold ornaments covered her forehead, and two lone silver horns shape to resemble the crest of Bhunivelze were attached to the back and curving around the sides of her head. Her green eyes shined, and she said "Me and everyone else- but that's not what you mean, do you?" she asked. I smiled wider, the memories coming back now in Vanille's company. Our branding as l'Cie over a thousand years, our battle against the fal'Cie to save the world, the siege on Eden. We were comrades in arms, fighting to change our destiny. And at the end of that battle, she and Fang sacrificed themselves to become a great crystal pillar, which kept the world of Cocoon aloft for five hundred years.

As if I has said all of that out loud, a very familiar voice said "But then five centuries ago, she came back!" I whipped around only to see a black and pink blur pass by, and I turned back around to see Lumina standing next to Vanille. Lightning groaned. "You again?" she asked. Lumina just grinned and hugged Vanille, squealing. "So, you two know each other?" I asked, a little surprised by the display. Vanille nodded, hugging Lumina back. "Yes, we've been together ever since the Chaos appeared," she explained. "Right. Thick as thieves," Lumina added. "But Fang's no around," Lightning pointed out. At that Vanille frowned, and disengaged from Lumina. "Well, we woke up at the same time, and were together for a while… but she left," she admitted. I raised an eyebrow. "And you chose to stay behind, under the Order's protection? For what reason?" I asked.

Slowly, Vanille nodded. "Uh-huh. There's something I have to do. It has to be me, and it has to happen right here," she stated. "And what might that be?" Lightning asked. Rather than answer, she let go of Lumina's hand and walked ahead, before looking back. "Follow me," she said, before continuing onward. Lumina did just that, and I looked at Lightning. After a few more seconds, we followed.

* * *

Vanille has made her appearance! But what is it that she needs to do? What will be its ramifications? And what will occur next chapter? Find out when it appears!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


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